The Cuckoo Bird
by DrivebyReader
Summary: Prussia is now not only Eastern Germany and a state, but also a father! He and Liechtenstein discover a little girl on the Baltic Coast and raise her as a the German state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Lots of fluff and fun, but not all states and nations are happy about the news. Will little Maria manage to fulfill her destiny? Some OC characters. Maiden and Unicorn sequel.
1. Chapter 1 To All the Nations

**I am happy to announce that the overwhelming favorite of the "What do you want next?" poll was a GilbertxLili follow-up. So here it is! THE CUCKOO BIRD! It picks up where Liechtenstein x Prussia: Maiden and Unicorn left off, but you don't have to have read the first story in order to enjoy this (it would be awesome if you did, but still...). Curious about the title? Well, put this story or me on your Alerts, and follow along, my friends; all will be revealed. But for now, let's get started with a little announcement, shall we?**

**Chapter 1 To All the Nations**

_Herr Gilbert Bielschmidt_

_Das Land Brandenburg der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Region Ost-Deustchland_

_Und _

_Frau Lili Elise Vogel Zwingli_

_Das F__ü__rstentum Liechtenstein_

_Announce the arrival of their daughter_

_Maria Elise Bielschmidt-Vogel_

_Das Land Mecklenburg-Vorpommern der Bundesrepublik Deutschland_1

No sooner had the nations and German states received the announcements, then rumor flew among the personifications. With each e-mail, text message and phone call, rumor gained strength and speed, new feathers sprouting from her wings, just as new questions and theories rose with each exchange. Had the new entity actually been found in the eastern German state? Many German states remembered that Gilbert had found Ludwig on the battlefield of Leipzig, in Saxony's territory; had he whisked some other little entity away from an adjoining state or nation without anyone knowing? Poland nervously searched his border, and even Denmark questioned his ferrymen about any unusually young stowaways. Monika Hannover, half of the state of Lower Saxony, insisted she had not heard of any sightings of naked toddlers near her state line, but Schleswig and Holstein were unsure; they couldn't pinpoint any exact evidence, but the former Kingdom of Prussia did have a reputation for baby-snatching. After all, that's how he had gotten them from Denmark.

And what about Liechtenstein: why was _her _name on the announcement? Did the little principality actually think she was going to have a hand in raising a German state hundreds of miles away? Some of the female German states muttered amongst themselves about her cheek. Not because they wanted to babysit for Gilbert Bielschmidt, far from it; but a new entity was so rare, so precious, and they grew so quickly, that they wondered if they would have a chance to knit or sew anything for _das Kind_ before she was old enough to join them at the monthly meetings. And where was the child going to be raised? Obviously, she would need to spend most of her time in her land, but Gilbert was in Brandenburg and Lili was in the Alps, _um Gottes willen._2 Who was going to watch her? Did they think they were going to drag the poor little creature around Germany and Europe? What would that do to her education? It wasn't like the old days, when an entity could be tutored at home; Ludwig had outlawed homeschooling.

And speaking of Ludwig, everyone remembered his rage at Lili's plotting with Gilbert behind his back in Gilbert's bid for Brandenburg and the region of Eastern Germany. True, the two brothers were cordial towards each other at national and world meetings; they had even been seen laughing and talking like the good old days of the German Empire. But no one had seen more than icy formality on Germany's part towards Liechtenstein during the past year at World Meetings. Was he actually going to allow her a hand in raising one of his states?

Still, a new entity was a rare and precious thing and the recipients of the announcement studied the photo of the new family carefully. Gilbert had his typical self-satisfied smirk, Lili looked properly demure (and slightly overwhelmed, the cattier states noted) and as for Maria Elise…

Even the most bitter personification had to admit she was a cute child. A very solemn one (or maybe she was just shell-shocked at being taken in from nature and put into clothes and surrounded by other beings for the first time), at least for now. Someone (Lili, of course) had carefully brushed and braided the toddler's amber-colored hair and tied the ends with white ribbons. She wore a simple, slightly old-fashioned pinafore over a red dress and her chubby feet were in matching sandals; Austria approved the timeless charm of the ensemble. She had a lovely complexion, many states noted, and despite the baby fat, one could see she had high cheekbones and a strong chin. A nice little nose, too. But the child's eyes were her outstanding feature: large and round, with dark heavy lashes and a true clear amethyst color. Unusual for a German entity, some mused.

The gifts poured in to Potsdam. Clothes arrived from France and the Italies; the child would be one of the best-dressed in Europe. The Nordics and Estonia sent knit blankets, hats, sweaters, socks and booties. Austria and Hungary sent a magnificent white dress with a note acknowledging that while they knew the child would probably be baptized a Lutheran, at least she could do it in style. Ukraine and Belarus sent embroidered shirts and pillow cases, while Russia sent a lovely set of nesting dolls.

Some states and nations, to Gilbert and Lili's relief, sent practical items. A bundle of cloth diapers and diaper covers came from Belgium and the Netherlands. Switzerland sent a car seat and a stroller; Lili was overjoyed at Vash's unusual generosity. The United States sent baby gates and other safety items, Canada sent a goosedown quilt and pillows, and the United Kingdom sent a rocking horse. Ludwig sent a complete bedroom set for the child. Many other nations and German states sent toys, books and stuffed animals, enough to stock a store.

Gilbert and Lili sat amidst a mountain range of stuffed dogs, cats, and pink and lavender textiles. Wooden puzzle toys and blocks scattered the floor, providing chewing fun for Willi the Pomeranian puppy. They watched, overwhelmed, as Maria Elise concentrated on climbing into a large cardboard box that had recently held a giant panda bear from China.

"_Mein Gott_, the stuff." Gilbert turned and stared at Lili. He looked as if he had just completed a thousand-mile march. "Where am I going to put all this stuff?"

Lili had been keeping a tally of which nations and states had sent which gifts for writing thank-you notes; she had blanked out at two hundred. She shrugged out of defeat, not indifference. "You'll need to move to a larger place, _Schatz_. Preferably on the border between Mecklenberg-Vorpommern and Brandenburg."

Gilbert nodded. He hadn't remembered having all these things when Ludwig had been little. The thought of packing all these items away and moving them, along with his own, just was too much to think about now. His hand crept next to Lili's and his fingers laced hers. She squeezed back. He was grateful that her boss had granted her "maternity leave" for two months, and that Ludwig had told him he had a year of parental leave. He still wanted to keep tabs on Brandbenburg, of course, and showing up at the states' monthly meetings was manageable, but he was glad he wasn't expected to worry about childcare during the World Meetings in Paris. Lili would go to them and report the news back to him.

Gilbert and Lili zoned out until an indignant yip startled them. Gilbert focused his eyes and saw that Maria had tipped the cardboard box over Willi. The puppy whimpered and scratched. Lili heaved herself up and tilted the box so he could escape. "Nein, nein, Maria," she chided. "Don't do that to Willi. That's not nice!"

The toddler stared at her and then pushed the box on its side and pulled it over herself. She scratched and mimicked Willi's whimper perfectly. Lili shook her head and pushed the box over, revealing Maria. "Nein, nein," she laughed, wagging her finger. "Don't do that to Maria. That's not nice." The child giggled—her first meaningful sound in the two weeks since they had found her—and pulled the box back over herself. She and Lili repeated the action while Gilbert watched, amused and a little envious at how easily Lili entered into the game.

On the fourth round, Maria didn't laugh at the usual point in the game. Instead she turned to him and pointed. Gilbert smiled, unsure what the silent child wanted. Lili stood by the box, watching him. Maria pulled the box over herself. She whimpered and scratched. Lili gestured for Gilbert to get up; he paused. Maria whimpered and scratched, louder. Gilbert shrugged, tipped the box over and saw the little imp squatting and grinning at him.

Gilbert pointed at Lili and winked at her. "Nein, nein, Muti! Don't do that to Maria. That's not nice." Lili laughed like bells, but it was the little girl's shrill high giggles that charmed him. She held out her arms, his signal to scoop her up.

"Nein, nein, Vati," she said, tapping his nose with her finger. He looked over her head at Lili staring tenderly at them. Maybe this was all they needed, he thought, that and the _verdammt _box.

**So what do you think so far? I'd love to hear from old and new readers and I always respond to reviews!**

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1 German for Gilbert, Lili and Maria's official titles: Gilbert is the German State of Brandenburg and Region of Eastern Germany, Lili is the Principality of Liechtenstein, and Maria is the German State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

2 German: for God's sake


	2. Chapter 2 Tea Party

**Chapter 2 Tea Party**

During the two months' leave that Lili's boss granted her, they had established a daily routine. Fortunately, Maria slept through the night, but she was an early riser, like Gilbert. He got her up, changed and fed her (she liked muesli soaked in milk without raisins or nuts). Lili then joined them and they all went out with the dogs and Maria for a walk. Then as Gilbert worked on his blog and reviewed his correspondence and duties with his bosses, Lili played with Maria and kept her occupied. Then lunch and a nap. By then, Lili was often exhausted and she would nap with the toddler. After the nap, Gilbert took Maria out to play or amused her indoors while Lili worked on her computer and started dinner, which was usually simple. Then some quiet playtime or maybe a children's video , bathtime, a story and bedtime. Finally, Lili and Gilbert and the dogs could have some time for themselves before they went to bed.

The structure was simultaneously soothing and boring, Gilbert realized. It definitely helped them manage Maria, who seemed to be a little creature of habit, but it also meant no last-minute plans to go out in the evening or sleeping in on a weekend morning. He couldn't quite remember if it had been the same when he had raised Ludwig; somehow it had seemed easier, less time-consuming. But then he had been the Kingdom of Prussia, with mortal servants and provinces to command. Also, when Ludwig was the German Confederation, he had shared custody with Austria, so that had been six months of the year when he had been free to plot, carouse, and campaign. But soon, Lili would have to return to Liechtenstein, and even though she assured him she would be back one week out of every month, he wondered how he could manage this on his own. He thought of either finding an au pair or _ eine Tagesmutter _or getting her into a _Kinderkrippe._1 It pleased him to see that at least the eastern German states still had more public childcare available than Ludwig's territories; _see_, he wanted to smirk, _I wasn't a total jerk to women_.

Sometimes Gilbert would walk by Maria's bedroom and overhear Lili playing with her. He would peep in and see the two sitting on a blanket with Bruno lying next to Lili and Willi wandering around the blanket's edges. They were having a tea party and Gilbert figured he would run off before they recruited him to be bored.

"What's on the plate?" Lili pointed at the little china tea set that Austria had sent Maria.

Maria twiddled her braid and stuck it in her mouth.

"_Ein Keks_," Lili held up one cookie and put it back on the plate with the others. "_Die Kekse_.2 Can you say that, _Liebling_?"

"_Ein Keks, die Kekse." _Maria imitated Lili's gestures. Her treble voice melted Gilbert's heart.

"Ja, gut! Now let's see how many guests we have." Lili pointed to herself, Maria and the dogs. "_Ein, zwei, drei, vier_! Can you count too, Maria? I want to make sure I counted correctly." Maria repeated her. "Gut! Now let's see how many _Kekse_ we have. I hope we have enough for all of us. Come count with me." Gilbert leaned against the doorway, engrossed in watching the toddler count along with Lili; he had to bite his lip to keep from laughing as Willi kept trying to attack the cookie plate and Lili kept pushing him back.

"Gut, we have how many guests?" Lili asked. Maria thought and then chirped, "_Vier_!" Gilbert found himself grinning along with Lili. "Gut, Maria! And how many _Kekse _do we have?" Maria bounced excitedly as she cried, "_Vier!_"

"Gut! Now we can start passing around the cookies to our guests." Lili gently pulled the plate away from Maria's eager hands. "Nein, nein, we are the hostesses. We have to serve our guests first. Let's give one to Bruno first because he is such a good, patient boy." The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog perked up. "Bruno, would you like _ein Kekse_?" Lili leaned towards the dog as if he were whispering to her. "_Ja, bitte_," she said in a voice that sounded like a cartoon version of Ludwig's; Gilbert had to hide to keep from bursting into laughter and disrupting the party.

"What good manners, Bruno! Here is your treat." Lili fed the dog a cookie and now held the plate towards Maria. "How many do we have left now, Maria? Can you count them?" Gilbert peeked back to see the toddler tap and count the remaining cookies. "_Drei Kekse_! Good job. Now who gets the next one?"

"Me!" Maria squealed. Lili shook her head gently. "Nein, Maria, we are the hostesses and hostesses serve their guests first. So let's give the naughty boy Willi _ein Kekse_. Willi, would you like _ein Kekse_?" _Of course he does, _Gilbert thought, as he watched the Pomeranian spin and leap on his hind legs to reach the plate Lili held out of reach.

"_Ja, bitte_!" Maria said in a hoarse, high-pitched baby growl that was supposed to be Willi's voice. Lili laughed and gave the little dog the cookie. "How many do we have left now?"

As Maria counted, Gilbert marveled at how cleverly Lili managed what would have been an excruciating experience for him. She had taught Maria words, numbers, counting and even basic manners; it would never have occurred to him to do that. He would have sat, bored and frustrated, pretending to drink tea out of a cup, muttering "Ja," and hoping Maria and the dogs would carry the brunt of the conversation. He suddenly felt very lucky and very inadequate.

"Would you like _ein Kekse_, Maria?" Lili asked. Maria nodded and reached for the plate. Lili put up a warning hand that made the girl pause. "What do you say? What did Bruno and Willi say to get their cookies?"

Maria paused. Gilbert mouthed the words, willing them to her. "_Ja, bitte_?" She said, and Lili handed her the cookie in triumph. "What good manners! And now there's only one left! Who gets it?" Maria pointed at her. "Muti!" Lili laughed and placed the last cookie on her plate.

Willi sniffed about for crumbs and then he saw Gilbert shift in the doorway. He woofed and romped over. When Lili and Maria looked up, he raised an eyebrow. "I see I missed all the treats," He said with a play pout.

" Vati." Maria got up and came to him. He squatted down to gather her in his arms and kiss her; there were crumbs scattered along her cheeks and chin.

"That's all right. I'll just eat you instead. Nom nom nom!" He pretended to chew on her and she squealed and squirmed with delight before breaking loose and running back to Lili. As Lili gathered the giggling girl in her arms, she looked at Gilbert. "Come join our party," she said, and he did.

* * *

1 Tagesmutter-in-home day care provided by a person who has had some training, qualitifications and is registered with local government. Kinderkrippe-daycare for infants and toddlers usually associate with a Kindergarten.

2 German: a cookie, the cookies.


	3. Chapter 3 Diplomacy

**Chapter 3 Diplomacy**

**Ludwig meets his niece for the first time. And Monika represents the current German state of Lower Saxony; she was the former Kingdom of Hannover, and she is my version of Fem!Germany. Heads up for references to sexual activity. Hope you enjoy!**

Ludwig called Gilbert to find out when he and Monika could visit to see newest German state. Lili was still with them, and they had been busy visiting different _Tagesm__ü__tter_ and comparing notes. Gilbert checked with Lili, who checked the weather report, and they agreed that the next Saturday would work very well. It was supposed to be a mild, sunny October day, good for a picnic in the local park.

"The apartment is just too small to have so many adults in it," Lili lamented. Gilbert thought it had more to do with the army of toys Maria scattered about. Despite his and Lili's best efforts, the child had a hard time picking up after herself. Lili claimed she wasn't at the right developmental stage to master tidiness, but Gilbert was convinced she was simply stubborn. "Or maybe she has too many toys and we should put most of them away," Lili responded.

"Where?" Gilbert was exasperated. He had stepped on too many blocks or almost slipped on towel dolls in the dark to have much patience with this.

"I can take some to Vaduz for her when she visits," Lili said, "and we can put some in a box in her closet to take out when she gets bored with the others, and some we should really give away."

"Sounds good," Gilbert said. He was about to go back to his computer to check e-mail when he felt Lili's stare focus on him. "_Wat?"_

"Do you expect me to do this all by myself?" Lili raised an eyebrow. "_You_ are her official guardian, you hold Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in trust for her."

Gilbert was about to snap he was busy, but Lili's glare reminded him too much of Vash's to make him comfortable. One false move, he realized, and she could return to and stay in Liechtenstein for good, and he would be a full-time single parent. "Let's go sort toys while she watches a DVD, _meine Dame_," he offered, and he was relieved to see the smile return to Lili's face.

He shouldn't complain, he told himself as he and Lili figured out which dolls, books and puzzles should go where. Lili was patient, kind, and hard-working; she had volunteered to bake a cake for Ludwig and Monika's visit, and that was on top of her other duties. In a month, she would have to return to Vaduz, and he dreaded what that would do to Maria. He even dreaded what that would do to him.

At night, when they crawled into bed, he was grateful that she wrapped her arms around him and whispered, "_Ich liebe dich_, Gilbert." He was glad that the new form of sex they had discovered, karezza, didn't mean a lot of effort or noise to potentially frighten their child. He was tired too, and he was glad that he didn't have to perform or spur Lili or himself on to multiple orgasms. Instead they could hold and caress, kiss and snuggle, and if somehow he ended up inside her, wonderful. And if it didn't happen, at least they were skin-to-skin, close to each other, like survivors of a shipwreck. He loved to hear her deep, regular breaths at night, to run his hands up and down the slight curves of her smooth ivory body, and to look into her deep green eyes and see such affection and gratitude that he almost believed he was a wonderful lover and father. And when Lili murmured, "you are so sweet with her," he would shake his head, his chin ruffling her hair, and whisper, "You set a high standard to follow, _Liebling."_ He hoped that when she lay in his arms, she felt renewed and not depleted; he knew that when he was still and inside her, he could feel her pulsing and massaging him, putting his anxiety about himself, her, and Maria's future at ease. He felt loved, and he wanted them both to know that he loved them more than he could put in words.

Saturday came and Gilbert and Lili had somehow managed to make his apartment in Neustrelitz look civilized. Maria's hair was combed and braided and she scratched at the wool tights that were supposed to keep her warm in the brisk weather. She and Lili were in the kitchen finishing up the sandwiches for the picnic, when Bruno and Willi started barking at a knock at the door. Gilbert followed them and saw Ludwig and Monika.

Ludwig held out some flowers and Monika pressed a wrapped box into Gilbert's hands. "_F__ü__r die Kleinen,_" the former Kingdom of Hannover said as she kissed Gilbert's cheek.1 She peeled off her bright pink gloves as she stepped into the living room; Gilbert noted that even her attempts at whimsy were too earnest. "Where is she?" Monika's pale blue eyes shone with expectation.

"In the kitchen with Lili," replied Gilbert. He ushered the two guests to the sofa and shushed the dogs. Lili came in, leading Maria by the hand. The little girl had been babbling to her, but as soon as she saw the two tall blond strangers smiling hopefully at her, she grew quiet and wide-eyed, burrowing her face into Lili's skirts.

"Go to Vati," Lili urged. Gilbert could see that Lili herself was nervous; this was the first time in over a year that she had seen Ludwig outside of a World Meeting. His brother had been hurt by what he had perceived as her treachery to him, and Gilbert had warned her that his forgiveness would take a while. But Ludwig only had eyes for Maria. He watched her eagerly as Lili half-nudged, half-led the little entity to Gilbert. He held Monika's present out to her and she tentatively took it. "It's from Monika," he whispered to Lili, who replied, "This is your Tante Monika, Maria. And this is a present from her. What do you say?"

The little girl stared at the State of Lower Saxony. Lili cleared her throat. "We say '_Danke_' when someone gives a present. Can you say '_Danke_' to Tante Monika?"

"_Danke_." Maria's whisper could barely be heard past the wrapped box. To Gilbert's relief, Monika still smiled. "Open your present, Maria. You can use it in the park." With Gilbert's help, Maria tore off the paper and opened the box; it revealed a brightly colored ball. Maria clutched it and leaned against Gilbert as she kept staring at Monika and Ludwig.

"_Danke_ for the ball, Monika," Gilbert said. He turned Maria so she could face Ludwig. "And this is your Onkel Ludwig, Maria. Say 'hello' to him."

Ludwig chuckled a little at the quiet toddler. "She's rather shy, isn't she?" He said. His deep voice startled Maria, who tried to hide her face in Gilbert's sweater. Feeling her tense body against his chest made Gilbert feel sorry for the little one. "She'll have time to get to know us," Ludwig continued. He stood up and crossed over to shake Lili's hand. "Liechtenstein." The smile left his voice and face.

Lili nodded. "Germany." At least, she thought to herself, his eyes were neutral and not hostile. "Please excuse me while I finish packing the picnic." She went back to the kitchen, Bruno and Willi following her.

Monika looked approvingly at Maria's clothing and hair. "So are you going to learn to braid her hair, Gilbert?" She darted an amused glance at him.

"Ja!" Gilbert huffed. He put that on a his mental list of "things to ask Lili to show him how to do before she leaves." Maria was busy studying the ball. Ludwig returned to them, squatted next to the child and asked softly, "Do you like your gift, Maria?" She nodded, eyes fixed on the brightly colored toy.

Gilbert examined his brother's face. His normally stern features were soft and they reminded him of when he was a young entity, the German, and later North German, Confederation. He looked less careworn and guarded than he usually did. But there was something else that Gilbert saw in his brother's eyes, something that made his kind expression sad as he smiled at the toddler. Longing, he realized. He found himself clutching Maria more closely to his body as the visitors asked him about Maria's daily routine, likes and dislikes, and future childcare arrangements.

When Lili announced that the picnic basket was ready and she had put the dogs in their crates, the child ran to her and clung to her hands. Gilbert got the picnic basket and the little group strolled to the park. It was a pleasant day for a walk along the small town's streets and the park was not too crowded. They made themselves comfortable and ate lunch. As the three German entities talked, Lili busied herself with making sure Maria ate tidily. Gilbert kept an eye on them; he was pleased to see Maria wait patiently as Lili took out the coffee cake and slice it. He was proud when Maria, with Lili's coaching, offered the first slice to Ludwig, and then the next to Monika. The child's quiet, earnest manner charmed the two. But after eating a few bites of cake, she began to fidget and Lili excused her and herself to play with the ball. Monika also got up to join them.

Ludwig and Gilbert watched the three females play. "You know," Ludwig finally said as he refilled his coffee cup from the thermos, "you have managed to offend several states by not asking them to help out with Maria."

Gilbert huffed and rolled his eyes. "We've barely had her for a month. I can't take her on a grand tour!"

"No one expects you to drag her around Germany right now," Ludwig said. "But Thuringia is very hurt you didn't consult her about childcare and Monika was less than pleased that you didn't tell her personally she had a new neighbor."2

"She got an announcement, like everybody else!" Gilbert retorted.

"Like everybody else," Ludwig repeated with a meaningful look. Gilbert glared back.

"The last time I asked her to take care of an entity, she had a hundred reasons why she couldn't do it. 'I am a warrior, not a mother! I've never raised a child! What would the United Kingdom say?'"3 Gilbert mimicked Monika's serious, perfect _Hochdeutsch_.

"But she _did_ do it, and she did a fine job!" Ludwig glowered. Gilbert realized he was dangerously close to upsetting his younger brother; Monika had been a devoted older sister who had watched him when Gilbert was too busy with war and government.

"Well, I didn't want to impose on her again," he muttered. "Besides, Lili is doing an awesome job with her! Look at them." He nodded towards the three at play. Lili and Monika were encouraging Maria to try kicking the ball; the toddler managed one kick after a few tries, and the older females applauded.

"Ja, but Liechtenstein can't stay here and raise her. And she certainly can't take her back to Vaduz with her." Ludwig watched the happy scene without emotion. "She will leave in what, a month? And then what will you do?"

"I'm interviewing for a good _Tagesmutter_ to take her for a couple of days a week. And when I return to full-time work, she can stay there every day until it's time for _Kindergarten_."

Ludwig grunted noncommittally. Gilbert knew his opinion on childcare for working parents differed from his. "Come on," Gilbert sighed, "You know I just can't dump her on Monika or Thuringia's doorstep everyday and race to Potsdam! She needs to grow up in her state."

"Ja, I know." Ludwig shrugged. "But it would be nice once in a while to bring her to visit on a weekend. Let her meet the other states and when they see how sweet and lovable she is, that will create a lot of goodwill. And you need goodwill." Gilbert jutted out his chin and glared. Ludwig was nonplussed. "States still remember the last time you raised an entity and tried to keep it all to yourself. Don't make that same mistake, _Bruder_."

Gilbert flinched. He knew exactly what Ludwig meant. Once Ludwig had gotten to be a boy and more interesting and educable, he had taken him from Monika and kept him away from the other German entities as much as he could. At the time, he had told everyone and himself that it was because he wanted to raise Ludwig to be cunning and strong, a warrior and strategist, not a weak intellectual like Saxony, a liberal dreamer like Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, or a castle-building maniac like Bavaria. Least of all, he didn't want an effete, music-loving snob like Austria. He had been convinced only he had the ability and the vision to make Ludwig great. Only recently had he been able to admit to himself that he had been lonely, and by making the young entity dependent on him, he had thought that he would never be alone again.

Maria's giggles and squeals of delight filled the blue October sky. Gilbert watched her dart up about, kicking up leaves as she chased the ball between Lili and Monika. He hated to admit that Ludwig was right; the child needed to know the other entities, since it could only help her and him in the long run. _But she will always be meine Tochter_, he reminded himself.4

"When will you forgive Lili?" He asked as he watched the scene.

Ludwig finished his coffee and cake. "When I am good and ready. Of course, seeing Maria healthy and well-cared for goes some way towards that. Not to mention this cake." He winked and got up. "Well, Gilbert, this has been very good." He stretched. "Do you need a fourth for football?" He called to the three players and Monika laughed and invited him.

Gilbert packed up the basket. He watched the football game, pleased to see Ludwig team up with Maria against Lili and Monika. But as the time passed, he could see the child begin to flag and grow more sulky with each missed kick. Lili went over to her and picked her up. He got up to help her as she struggled with the grumbling toddler.

"I think someone is overdue for a nap," Lili said. Monika and Ludwig nodded and agreed that it was time for them to head back to Berlin. They made their farewells and Gilbert was relieved to hear Ludwig say, "Have a safe trip back to Vaduz, Lili." She exchanged a look of hopeful relief with Gilbert as he took Maria from her and she carried the basket back to the apartment.

Monika smiled at her brother as she fastened her seatbelt. "The child is lovely! And who would have imagined that girlish _Prinzessin_ would know anything about childrearing?"

"Ja," Ludwig grunted as he stuck the key into the ignition. "It would be better for everyone involved if she were more of _eine_ _Rabensmutter."_5He ignored his sister's shocked face as he started the car.

**So we got a little family visit and some tension. What do you think? I look forward to your reviews!**

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1 German: for the little one

2 Thuringia is one of the states from the former East Germany. Lower Saxony (Monika's state) is on Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's western border.

3 From 1714 to 1837, the Kingdom of Hanover was in personal union with the United Kingdom. In Hetalia terms, Monika and Arthur Kirkland were in an arranged marriage that lasted until the ascension of Queen Victoria. In my head canon, it started as a political alliance that actually developed into an affectionate, respectful relationship that was reluctantly dissolved because the Kingdom of Hanover followed Salic Law and would not accept a queen. Who knows, there might be an EnglandxFem!Germany fanfic on the horizon...

4 German: my daughter

5 German: raven's mother. A very serious insult meaning a neglectful or uninvolved mother.


	4. Chapter 4 Muti

**Chapter 4 Muti**

Gilbert and Lili had found a _Tagesmutter_ they both liked and who also agreed to let Maria attend two days a week. The child seemed to like being around other children and the caretaker reported that she fussed very little when Gilbert and Lili left. Indeed, Lili seemed more anxious during the four hours they were away; Gilbert had to keep her from calling to make sure Maria wasn't crying or refusing snacks or naps.

"Relax_, Liebling_," He told her. "The woman knows what she's doing. If things were terrible, she'd call and beg us to take her home!"

"I'll have to leave in a week," Lili fretted. "I really want to spend as much time as possible with her."

"She has to learn to spend time away from both of us, Lili." Gilbert remembered his talk with Ludwig. "And you'll be back in three weeks."

"I'm afraid of confusing her." Lili leaned into Gilbert for a hug. "I don't want her to think I'm abandoning her and then Poof! I'm back."

"She'll figure it out." Gilbert stroked Lili's hair. "You're giving her too much credit for creative thinking at her age." He looked down and smiled at her. "And we have Skype, Lili! You can see and talk to her every night!"

"Of course." Lili nodded against his chest. He could feel her exhale and begin to relax. He pressed her gently against himself.

"We have two hours left before we have to get her, _meine Dame_," he whispered. "What would make you feel better?"

"I'd like you to hold me so I can hear your heartbeat," she said. They lay down on the bed and as Lili's head rested against Gilbert's chest, he heard her breathing fall into line with his. His eyes closed and he could hear his heart and her breath match. _Buh-BUM, Buh-BUM. _ The rhythm reminded him of the waves on the beach the day they had found Maria. Secretly, he had never really liked the ocean; when he had been the Duchy of Prussia and a vassal of Poland's, Feliks had thought it would be funny to teach him to swim by having him thrown overboard from a boat into the Bay of Danzig. The experience hadn't taught him anything except that the ocean was cold, salty and overwhelming, Poland was an impulsive, arrogant _Arschloch_, and even nations could feel the panicky helplessness that mortals felt at impending death. But here in the present, he was safe; Lili's breath, his heartbeat, and Maria herself, reminded him that the sea could mean life as well as death.

Lili's last day in Mecklenberg-Vorpommern arrived. Gilbert had gotten a decent price on a used VW from Ludwig, so he drove her, Bruno, and Maria to the train station in Neustrelitz. The little group waited together as Lili bought her tickets and then had the porter take her luggage. Well-mannered Bruno would ride with her in the car. Maria watched the crowds of mortals intently, while Gilbert and Lili pointed out and named objects to her.

It was getting close to the final boarding call. Lili turned to Gilbert and Maria, and he saw the tears in her eyes. "Don't cry, Lili," he urged. "You can skype us when you get home. And remember you'll be back in three weeks!"

"I know, I know." She barely managed to get the words out. Gilbert was getting anxious; she would be back in Vaduz, in her quiet, pretty home, conferring with adult mortals and chatting with Vash, Roderich and Elizabeta about Maria; _he _ would be the one solely responsible for this toddler. Why was _she_ crying?

"Take a deep breath, Lili," he said, remembering to do the same thing himself. She did and then she squatted down and took Maria by the shoulders. He watched her bite her lip and smile, her eyes unusually bright.

"Maria, _liebling_, Muti is going away for a little bit, but she'll be back. Vati will take good care of you, so you must be a good girl, ja? Remember your manners and play nicely with your friends. _Ich liebe dich sehr!"_1 She grasped the child's stiff little body to her, and as Gilbert watched her kiss Maria's neck, ears and hair, he felt tears come to his eyes.

Lili stood up on tiptoes and kissed Gilbert. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and weld her to him, make her stay with him and Maria forever. But she broke away too quickly. "_Ich liebe dich,_" she whispered. "I'll miss both of you so much!"

"_Mein Gott, Frau!" _Gilbert tried to laugh. "This isn't some schmaltzy movie! You'll come back soon enough!" He blinked, lifted his head and tried to look nonchalant. His heart was racing and he dreaded that the slightest sound or move would make the tears spill onto his cheeks.

Lili nodded bravely and she and Bruno turned and climbed onto the train. Maria tried to walk after her, but Gilbert clung to her hand. "Nein, nein, Maria," he whispered. "We stay here." He saw Lili had found a seat near the window and she now waved to them. "Wave to Muti." He squatted down to wrap one arm around the child's straining body and raised her hand with the other.

The train grunted and huffed and the wheels began to turn and edge it along the tracks. Lili kept waving until her window and then car were too far from them."Muti? Muti?" Maria said, her voice rising higher and higher, until Gilbert swore only Bruno could hear it. He had to press her to him to keep her from trying to follow the car. Car after car passed, the train gaining speed and power, until it was gone into the horizon.

Gilbert exhaled. Well, the child hadn't fallen apart or caused a scene, so one crisis had been averted. He scooped her up and put her back in the car seat. The short drive back to the apartment was silent.

Maria went down easily for her nap, and Gilbert caught up on his blog and correspondence. He even journaled about how proud he was at her self-composure at Lili's departure. Then he heard her begin to mumble and shift; he went to her room to wake her up and check if she needed changing. Lili had begun toilet-training her, and he was relieved that the toddler seemed to understand the concept. He changed the child and decided that a snack and a stroll to the park would be a good idea.

Muti sat in her booster seat at the table, staring intently around the kitchen and ignoring the apple and cheese slices before her. "Muti?" she asked.

Gilbert snuck a piece of cheese to Willi. "Muti went on a trip, remember? We took her to the train station this morning." He figured that was the end of it.

"Muti?" Maria stared at him.

"Nein, I'm Vati. Muti went away on the train. Remember '_Tsch__üß__'?" _Gilbert mimicked waving.2

Maria squirmed down from her booster seat and started padding around the apartment, looking into each room, crying "Muti?" Willi and Gilbert followed her, Gilbert repeating, "Nein, she's not here." He was getting frustrated and wondering if she was going to be as dense as Otto, the former personification of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Maria stopped and turned. Her lip quivered and Gilbert noted with dread that her amethyst eyes were too shiny. "Mu-u-u-t-i-i-i," she wailed, her face crumpling into folds of pink flesh and tears. Gilbert just stared at her; Ludwig had never wept like this. Even after he had switched him, the boy had kept his mouth in a firm line and only thin trails of tears betrayed his hurt. But this little creature bawled freely, flopping down on the wood floor, moaning as if her heart would break.

Gilbert's first impulse was to flee, but even he realized that would be a terrible thing to do to a child crying for her absent mother. So he sat down next to her and patted her hot, quivering back. "Shh shh shh," he whispered, rubbing her shoulders. "Muti will come back! She said so herself. And Vati's here, _Liebling_." He noted with relief that her sobbing subsided; _Gut,_ he thought, maybe she understood more than he initially assumed. She gulped and rubbed her eyes. "_Gutes M__ä__dchen,"_ he whispered.

"M-U-U-T-T-T-I-I-I!" She screamed, her mouth wide open, revealing a set of sharp white baby teeth. Willi yapped in astonishment. Gilbert clamped his hands over his ears, repelled by the moist pink mouth and red shiny flesh of her wet cheeks. His adorable child had turned into a howling demon. He was tempted to fling her against a wall to shut her up, but he only imagined how that would go over with Lili, Ludwig, Monika and a host of child-loving nations.

"_Ruhe!"_3 He barked at her. She froze, mouth shut, lower lip trembling. Gilbert liked using the element of surprise in battle and he realized he needed to take advantage of her silence. He hugged the damp, miserable child and stroked her hair, ignoring the snot and tears dribbling on his shoulder. "Shh, shh, shh," he repeated. "I know you're sad that Muti's gone. _I'm_ sad Muti's gone. But Muti will come back. Shh shh shh." He found himself rocking the whimpering child. "Muti," she mumbled, and this time her plaintive whisper broke his heart. "Vati's here, Maria," He cooed, feeling his disgust fade away as the demon became a confused little girl again. _His _little girl. "Vati's here."

* * *

1 German: I love you very much!

2 German: Bye. From the research I've done online, this is a mostly Northern German way of saying "bye." Lili would probably use an Austrian or Swiss German way of saying "bye bye" to Maria, like "pa pa" or "Ciao." Lili might just say "Tschuß" to humor Gilbert and Ludwig.

3 German: Quiet!


	5. Chapter 5 A Revelation

**Chapter 5 A Revelation**

**An appearance by Magda, the German State of Thuringia (an original character), some info about the last personification of Mecklenburg, and a flashback to nineteenth-century Prussia.**

Maria seemed to reconcile herself to Lili's absence; Gilbert was able to get her up and into her daily routine. He took her out for walks and playtime in the park during the limited daytime hours. She followed him about, Willi tagging behind her, as he fixed simple dinners. When Lili skyped him that first night, Maria seemed initially confused as to who the high-voiced blond figure on the laptop screen really was, but when she realized it was Muti, she practically clawed apart the screen in her eagerness to pull Lili out of the box. Gilbert had to put her down and explain that Muti wasn't really trapped in the box, it was a picture of her, like the characters in the DVDs she watched. Fortunately, Maria seemed to understand that for the next evening, and she was able to wave and smile at Lili without destroying the laptop.

The child did well at the _Tagesmutter_'s house; she enjoyed playing with the water and sand tables, and she ate and napped well. Gilbert liked the mortal, a middle-aged woman who had worked in a daycare center during his East German days. When he came to collect Maria, they sometimes ended up indulging in some _Ostalgie_ until she seemed to awaken herself and say, "Of course, one always had to be careful about the _Stasi_," and the shades of past cruelties flitted across his heart.1

Winter came and they tried to spend as much time outdoors as possible; Gilbert felt caged in by the walls of the small two-bedroom apartment and the debris of toys and laundry. When he had tired of Neustrelitz's parks and the environs, they took the train to Berlin to visit Ludwig. Sometimes Northern Italy or another German state would also be visiting, and he enjoyed seeing Maria petted over by the other guests. The girl grew less shy around Ludwig and thought nothing about scrambling into his lap and patting his smoothed-back hair. Gilbert liked to watch his younger brother read to the child or pick out nursery tunes for her on the piano. And of course, Feliciano would get on the ground and pretend to wrestle with her. "Germany, your niece is killing me! Help!" He'd squeal as Maria climbed all over him.

When Ludwig dropped hints that Magda, the personification of Thuringia, really wanted to see Maria, Gilbert and Lili took the train down in late November to meet her in Erfurt for the Christmas market. The state lavished sweets and presents on the little girl, until both Lili and Gilbert felt uncomfortable. "You are really too kind, Magda," Lili said nervously as the rangy, weathered blonde bought Maria another wooden toy. Gilbert was already wondering how he was going to get rid of the three others she had purchased for her.

"Ach nein! I love to see little ones happy at this time of year!" Thuringia smiled proudly, showing off the impressive bridge Lili had given her when Gilbert had needed support for his bid to become Eastern Germany. "I had nothing but boys," she added wistfully, "so no pretty dresses, no dolls, no dollhouses…Ach, she must see the doll furnishings. Come, _Spatzchen_!"2 She pulled the child over to another booth, Lili and Gilbert following warily.

"I'm being invaded by toys," Gilbert grumbled. "I'm going to start calling my apartment 'Toytown.' Mein Gott, Lili, I'm turning into _verdammt_ München!"3

Later at Thuringia's house, after Lili had brought Maria upstairs to put her to bed, Gilbert mused over a glass of spiced wine. He had built a pleasant fire for their hostess and now they were enjoying its warmth. Something bothered him.

"Magda," he finally said, staring into the leaping flames, "Tell me about what happened to Otto." He had heard only she really knew the fate of the last personification of Mecklenburg.

Magda's cheeriness shifted back to her customary pinched, nervous look. She sat down, rubbing her hands. As the fire's light cast shadows upon her face, she looked more like the worn down, shabby-genteel state Gilbert remembered from the nineteenth century.

"Otto never liked the twentieth century," she began. "He liked being the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, he liked hunting and fishing in the woods and lakes, and he liked spending summers at the seashore. He knew you thought very little of him, but as long as you kept Ludwig safe and strong, he didn't mind. The First World War and the Weimar Republic depressed him; everything he had loved and knew how to manage seemed to have disappeared."

"We all felt that way," Gilbert muttered. He knew he had suffered, and Ludwig had also, to an even greater extent. He didn't see why he was supposed to pity Otto for the same loss and confusion every other German state had experienced.

"Ja, but he just had a harder time adapting to events than we did. He wanted to go back to a time when there was order and everyone knew their place. He liked Hindenberg and thought he was the man." Thuringia leaned towards Gilbert and whispered, "He_ never_ liked Hitler." Gilbert was about to protest that he had gotten over the Austrian mortal's spell fairly quickly, but Magda's piercing green-yellow eyes glowed with unusual intensity. He knew she knew how long he had complied with the Nazi regime.

"He was relieved that you and Ludwig held him in so much contempt that you kept him out of the theaters of war. He was content to work on the iron ore trade and troop transit with Sweden.4 But when things started to worsen for us in 1943, and Berwald demanded the end of troop transits by September, Otto wrote to him. He knew that Norway was there, training his countrymen but claiming they were simply police. They arranged a secret meeting in Denmark, where Lukas cast a mortality spell over him. Then he returned to Mecklenburg to bide his time."

Gilbert had forgotten about his wine. Thuringia's voice had sent him back to the past; he could recall glimpses of the war, of fat Otto uncomfortable in his uniform that always looked like he had just come back in from a muddy hunt in the woods. He and Ludwig thought that he was harmless and affable enough not to annoy Berwald and to keep the iron ore and troops moving. He had never guessed that the old ox would actually be capable of keeping a secret, much less devising one.

"When 1945 arrived, most of us could see what was going to happen and we all had our ways of dealing with it. For some of our mortals, including some of our leaders, that meant suicide." Madga glanced at Gilbert. "Otto went to Zingst, got into a rowboat and pushed off into the Baltic Sea. Apparently, he then overturned or jumped out of the boat and was never seen alive again."

She and Gilbert studied the fire together. He had heard the mortal leaders' speeches, urging Germans to choose suicide over defeat; they had made it sound honorable and preferable to surviving under the Allies. He remembered seeing the bodies of German girls and women with bullet wounds through the temples or hanging from rafters during his retreat through East Prussia; at the time he had been convinced it had been the work of Ivan's mortals, but now he wondered how many had killed themselves to avoid rape or the shame of living with it.

"How do you know all this?" He had never thought Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Thuringia had much to do with each other.

"He left some personal effects and a letter with Sweden, with directions to give them to me. Berwald held onto them until reunification, when I came out of hiding." Magda stared at him and Gilbert averted his eyes. He knew she was referring to the directions he had received from his GDR bosses in 1952 to hunt down the surviving East German states to abolish them. After reunification, he had learned that each of them had found sanctuary in different places: Saxony had hidden in Poland, and Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt in Bavaria. He had felt outfoxed and incompetent, not an awesome feeling during the rollercoaster ride of 1990.

"Why you, Magda?"

She turned and poked at the fire, a little smile on her tanned face. "We got to know each other over the years: the Holy Roman Empire's court, the Confederations, the Empire, the Republic. We were usually on the edge of things, so we had a lot of free time to talk." Her smile stayed wistful, but her eyes grew cold. "We both knew what you thought of us."

Gilbert recalled how Thuringia had approached him at the Congress of Vienna when she had heard the news that he had found a little entity. She had worn her best dress, a turned and mended thing ten years out of date, and a bonnet trimmed with cheap ribbons and a dismal feather. She congratulated him on the new Confederation and offered to raise Ludwig along with her family of boys by Saxony: Saxe-Coburg, Saxe-Gotha, and he couldn't remember the rest. He had refused, politely at first, but she had wrung her hands and pleaded, "Mein Herr Preußen, a child needs to grow up with other children. I can guarantee him an excellent education, a ready family of playmates and future allies, a loving mother experienced in raising boys—"

"And how will you manage to do this, Magda, without help of some sort?" Gilbert had asked, as he had taken in her worn leather slippers and faded shawl.

She had had the grace to look down meekly. "If the boy is going to be the German Confederation, maybe a little allowance—not just from you, Mein Herr Preußen, _you_ shouldn't bear the sole burden—but a little collection from all the states…?" She had looked up hopefully.

Gilbert had recalled how politely he had smirked before he had delivered the blow. "Nein, Magda, I have already asked the Kingdom of Hannover and the Rhineland to help raise the child. I suggest you apply to Saxony if you need additional funds." He had turned on his heel, but Magda had clutched his sleeve.

"Mein Herr, it's not the money!" He had glared down at her and into her desperate, hungry eyes. "I would raise the boy for the glory of it, as service to the vision of a united Germany! I have the ability to provide him with sound principles of faith, a love of nature, his own literature, loving brothers—"

"—whose worn-out cast-offs he'd wear, who'd fight him for the last crust of bread and bite of _wurst_?" Gilbert had sneered, shaking her hand off his new uniform. "This child is destined for more than tussling with Saxony's brats! The answer is _Nein_, Magda, and don't bother me again!" She had withdrawn, curtseying in shame, as he had stalked off, muttering about how some states lacked a sense of dignity.

He had been cruel to her, he realized now. She had wanted a child to love and be loved by, just like he had. But she had already had a litter of cubs, and he had had none. And now almost all of her boys had disappeared, subsumed by history and other larger, stronger states. No wonder she wanted to lavish toys, sweaters and marzipan on Maria.

"I'm sorry, Magda," he whispered, but she had already gotten up from her chair at Lili's approach and was quizzing her eagerly about the little girl's breakfast preferences. He kept staring at the fire, listening to the aged wood crack and sigh under the heat.

**So now you know a little bit about how states can disappear. What do you think? It makes me happy to read your reviews! Coming up next: Maria's first Christmas.**

* * *

1 Ostalgie: nostalgia for East Germany. Stasi: short for Ministerium für Staatssicherheit, the secret police of East Germany during the Communist period.

2 German: little sparrow

3 "Toytown" is a nickname for Münich, inspired by the city's cleanliness and livability. I found it on a blog by and for English-speaking expats living there.

4 Sweden was officially neutral during World War II, but did manage to continue its iron ore trade with Nazi Germany despite early Allied attempts at blockades. In 1940, after the Nazi occupation of Denmark and Norway, Nazi Germany made an agreement with Sweden to use its railways to ship medical supplies and orderlies (but they also included troops) to Norway. In 1943, as the tide of war turned against Nazi Germany, Allied forces were able to pressure Sweden to reduce its iron ore trade with Germany and to stop the transit of German troops. Sweden did take in both Danish and Norwegian Jews and other refugees, and did allow the training of Norwegian troops under the claim that they were only receiving police training.


	6. Chapter 6 Erstes Weihnachten

**Chapter 6 Erstes Weihnachten**1

**You ever have one of those family holidays where things don't go the way they should? Also, Vash makes his first appearance in the story.**

Maria's first Christmas was supposed to be a quiet one with only immediate family in Berlin. At least, that was what Ludwig had told Gilbert when he asked if he could bring Lili. So when he and the child arrived on the morning of the 24th and saw Hannover, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and the city-states of Hamburg and Bremen, he felt tricked. He noted with dismay how Maria clung to him, too overwhelmed to recognize Ludwig, Monika or Magda. The only time she let go of him was when Ludwig revealed the Christmas tree with presents for her. Maria sat down with the first box, tore off the wrapping, and pulled out a Noah's Ark from Saxony. _Awesome,_ Gilbert thought as he gritted his teeth, _more pieces to lose and step on._ He was amused when Maria was more engrossed with the box than the ark or any other presents. Ludwig and Monika tried to distract her with whistles and chirps as they waved new gifts at her, but the toddler preoccupied herself with shaking the box to hear the pieces rattle. At dinner, she fussed and refused to eat any of the goose, sauerkraut with apples, or other dishes Ludwig and Monika had prepared. Later, when the _Stollen, Lebkuchen_ and other sweets were put out, Thuringia offered her some.

"She shouldn't have any dessert when she didn't eat any dinner," Gilbert said. His tone must have been harsher than he had intended, for Magda looked embarrassed and Saxony and Ludwig turned to stare at him.

"But she shouldn't go to bed hungry," she said meekly.

"Why not?" Gilbert said. "She didn't eat the good food Ludwig and Monika spent all that time and effort preparing, so why let her eat all that sugary stuff to keep her from sleeping?"

"It's Christmas time," Saxony grumbled. " A slice of gingerbread and a cookie with milk won't ruin her."

"Gisil, I don't want her spoiled." Gilbert glared at him. The bad mood that had simmered all afternoon was now coming to a boil. "_You're _not the one who has to worry about whether she goes to sleep tonight, whether she wakes up with an upset stomach, or—"

"I've raised my share of children." The State of Saxony loomed over him. Gisil was Ludwig's height with a little more bulk. He looked down his nose through his spectacles at Gilbert.

That did it. "If I remember," Gilbert said acidly, "You'd show up on Thuringia's doorstep with a dirty naked toddler you found in the woods, shove it at her, and expect her to whip out a teat and nurse the little brat. Some raising, that."

Magda blushed and put the plate with treats on the table and slid away. Gisil narrowed his eyes and Ludwig exhaled heavily and glared at Gilbert. "Peace on earth, goodwill to men, eh Gilbert?" Saxony growled. "I see you're back to your old habits of kicking Magda around."

Gilbert's face reddened. "I'm not the one who kept dumping bastards on her."

_"Halte di Klappe_, both of you!" Ludwig growled, pushing between the two of them. "Get some coffee, Gisil, and let Gilbert decide what Maria will eat. And you," He turned on Gilbert, his eyes cold with disgust, "have been in a _schleichlich_ mood all day. Apologize to Magda and maybe you and Maria need the same bed time."

Gilbert sprang up and stared into Ludwig's face. "I wasn't insulting _her,_ it was that fat—"

"Me?" Saxony had edged back over with a cup of coffee. "But of course you can't even do that without hurting someone who'd do anything to make _your_ little brat happy."

"Don't you have some _Stollen_ to eat, Gisil, instead of lurking around private conversations?" Gilbert snapped. He could feel the anger fanning itself and racing through his veins. Ludwig started to say something, but then they heard something rattle, a collective gasp, a whistling thud, and a piercing wail. The three male entities turned in the direction of the parlor.

Ludwig's spruce tree, lovingly decorated with antique glass and Dresden ornaments, had fallen to the carpet. Little shards of glass shimmered in the string of lights, and the angel that decorated the tree top lay forlornly less than a meter away from it, her china head cracked. Maria bawled as she scrambled away from the scene of the crime and into Monika's arms.

Gilbert went over to pick her up. He wasn't sure whether he saw reproach or concern in Monika's eyes, but he was too angry and embarrassed to care. As he took the exhausted, frightened child, he wished she didn't exist. _Dummes kleines __Ärgenis_, he thought as he gritted his teeth and automatically patted her back.2 He saw Ludwig cover his face with his large hands, the city states and Saxony-Anhalt try to pull up the tree and blot up the water that had spilled from the stand, and Saxony stare smugly at him. Over the murmurs of concern and rationalizations, he heard his younger brother's voice loom like a distant rumble of thunder.

"The child needs to go to bed."

"Ja," Gilbert grunted. He was only too glad to disappear with the cause of all the tension and trouble. He scanned the parlor and dining room for Thuringia, but didn't see her. He went upstairs to the guest bedroom he shared with Maria and put the child in the new flannel nightgown that was a gift from Austria. She was so tired, she barely fussed as he brushed her teeth and washed her face. Then he put her in her travel bed and tucked her in with her favorite stuffed dog. Maria snuffled and hiccupped as he hummed her favorite lullaby without enthusiasm.

The hiccups stopped and the snuffles turned into regular breathing. Gilbert sighed and flopped back on his bed. _Gott Sei Dank_ he had not brought Willi and Gilbird to create more chaos, he thought. He ran his hands over his face and through his hair; he knew he should go downstairs, find Thuringia and apologize, but he wanted to avoid the whole mess of German states. Intimate family gathering, indeed! He huffed. Lili could have been invited; she wouldn't have taken up too much space and she could have handled Maria's shyness and fussiness a lot better than he did. She would have soothed her and smoothed over his comments about Thuringia and Saxony. And later, in bed, they could have reviewed the evening, gossiped and laughed over the various states' foibles, wished each other _Frohe Weihnachten_ with kisses at midnight….3

He imagined her in Vienna, accompanying Austria and Hungary to the Catholic midnight mass, while Vash went to bed early so he could wake up and attend a morning Protestant service. They had probably eaten a civilized dinner, and afterwards, Roderich had rung his bell, and then they went to the parlor and pretended that the _Christkindl _had left the gifts they had earlier placed under the tree. Gilbert felt his chest tighten; he missed it, all of it: eating Austria's food, teasing Elizabeta, decorating the tree, seeing Lili's smile as they opened each other's gifts. Next year, he vowed, Maria will spend Christmas in Vienna with us, Ludwig and his politics be damned.

In Vienna, Lili studied the fire crackling in the white marble fireplace. She had decided not to attend the midnight mass with Roderich and Elizabeta, but to sit with Vash instead. He was looking through the book on the Reformation she had given him for Christmas. "So, do you like it?" she asked.

Vash nodded. "The author has some new insights about what happened along the French border." He looked up, raising an eyebrow. "And how about you? Do you like your gifts?"

"Ja, the keepsake box is lovely." Lili looked down at the box he had carved for her. Each side depicted a childhood activity during the four seasons and she had noted with pleasure that the central character seemed to resemble Maria. She couldn't wait to show it to Gilbert.

"So when do I get to see the _Fraulein_ in person?" Vash asked.

Lili paused. "You could come up with me to visit Gilbert," she suggested; Vash's snort affirmed that wasn't such a great idea. "Or maybe he could come to Vaduz with her during the spring and summer and we could cross over to visit you."

"Ludwig would be okay with that?" Vash's tone made her turn and look at him.

"Why wouldn't he? His own brother can go where he pleases for a week of two."

"Well, I can understand not having a problem with Gilbert leaving the country, but what about the child?" Vash studied Lili, his suspicious green eyes glittering in the fire's glow. "I've seen how he treats you at the meetings, Lili."

"He's been better," she muttered. They both knew that that meant he occasionally nodded to her or remembered to include her in his greetings to Vash. "I got a Christmas card!" she added. One with an impersonal salutation and closing she admitted, but she had not received one from Germany last year.

She watched Vash's lips twitch as he turned to study the flames. "He's going to hold that child over you, Lili," he finally said. "You vote against a proposal he favors? Suddenly you won't be allowed into Germany to visit Gilbert and Maria. You turn down a committee assignment? Hmm, Gilbert and his child are no longer allowed to leave the country without his brother's permission. You will all be his pawns."

Lili stared at his brother. She couldn't believe what he was saying, even as a little stab in her heart confirmed it was a real possibility. "Gilbert would never allow Ludwig to rule him like that."

"He's a state now, a clear subordinate to him. So he does have to do what Ludwig tells him to do. And Maria doesn't belong to him; she belongs to the state of Mecklen-whatever, which belongs to the German Federal Republic. Gilbert is simply holding her in trust for Ludwig." Vash's voice softened slightly. "I'm sorry, Lili, but that's the truth."

She studied the box. For winter, Vash had carved a little girl with braids riding a sleigh down a hill with pine trees in the background. The little figure seemed so carefree, enjoying her sport, even as her creator believed that Maria might never be allowed to do the same in the Alps. "Why are you telling me this, Vash?"

"Because I don't want you to get used and hurt, _Schwester_." He whispered. "I know you and Gilbert and the child think you're her mother, but you're not. And the first time Ludwig forces you all to realize that, you will all suffer more than if you just simply acted as Gilbert's _Frauchen_ who enjoyed playing with the child in his life."4 He turned towards her and shrugged. "Love the child, Lili, but don't pretend she's your daughter."

Lili felt the stab return and twist slowly inside her, spreading a burning pain throughout her chest. She remembered how eager the female entities Hannover and Thuringia had been to meet Maria, all the questions they asked about her habits, development, likes and dislikes. She remembered the longing in their eyes as they watched the child walk with her. _Mein Gott_, she agonized, _I am replaceable._

She studied another side of the box. Now the little girl was riding in a dog cart pulled by a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. She forced herself to breathe deeply. Ludwig couldn't be angry at her forever; even Gilbert admitted that he would forgive her eventually. All she needed to do was to be honest and trustworthy. And Gilbert would never let her be shut out of Maria's life; she knew that much.

Lili drew herself back up and smiled at Vash. "Thanks for looking out for me, _Bruder_," she said. She got up, crossed over to kiss him on the cheek, and looked at the clock. It was just about to strike midnight. "Frohe Weihnachten," she smiled. He repeated it and then she went upstairs to bed and a renewed commitment to the two she loved most in the world.

**Poor little tired Maria. Poor Gilbert. Poor Lili. Let me know what you think!**

* * *

1 German: First Christmas

2 German: Stupid little nuisance

3 German: Merry Christmas

4 German: Mistress


	7. Chapter 7 Thaw

**Chapter 7 Thaw**

**Lili vs Ludwig. And a cameo appearance by the Epic Fail Brothers**

Gilbert skyped Lili about the Great Tree Disaster early on Christmas morning , and they made a plan to fix things. Gilbert asked Thuringia to go for a walk with him and Maria later on Christmas day; as the child played in the snow, he explained what he had really meant and that his real contempt and anger had been directed towards Saxony. He emphasized that he felt it had been unfair that she had had to raise Saxony's children mostly by herself and with limited funds. Thuringia listened politely and accepted his apology, but drew a line when Gilbert began to complain about Saxony's selfishness. "Gilbert, Gisil _was _the father of my boys," Magda said firmly, and he shut up.

The next step was making things up to Ludwig. Many of the shattered glass balls were antiques, and therefore priceless, but Gilbert shopped the after-Christmas sales at some of Berlin's best gift shops for special, handblown glass ornaments and had Maria present a box of them to Ludwig. The other states had left Berlin, and so Maria was back to her good-natured self. Gilbert was pleased to see his brother smile and hug the little girl as he thanked them for the replacements. He even invited her to hang them up on the tree, carefully supervising her short fingers as she placed the hooks over the branches.

Lili arrived in Berlin the day before Gilbert's birthday, January 18. When she saw him and Maria amid the mortals at the train station, she was overjoyed to hear her cry "Muti!" and see her bounce up and down. Lili trotted to them and scooped her up, kissing her little nose and cheeks. Vash would have warned her to guard her heart, but she didn't care; the child's smile and surprisingly strong arms around her neck made her a willing captive.

"Ahem." She looked up and saw Gilbert smirking at them. "Ach ja, wasn't I supposed to do something with you?" She teased. He laughed and she stood up and kissed him. Maria clung to her legs, saying, "me, Muti, me!"

"You've already had your turn, minx," Gilbert growled, and Maria stuck out her lower lip and grabbed Lili's legs tighter. Lili almost lost her balance and she had to shift and break Maria's grip. The little girl had certainly gotten stronger and taller.

"So Ludwig knows I'm coming, ja?" Lili asked as they rode the bus to his house. Maria sat between them, humming and resting her feet on Lili's wheeled carry-on suitcase.

Gilbert nodded. His brother had agreed when he asked if they could spend the night at his house before leaving for Potsdam. He knew Maria would be too young to understand, but he wanted to take her to Sanssouci for his birthday. He would show her Old Fritz's grave and leave a potato upon it, then they would have lunch at one of the town's restaurants and head back on the train to Neustrelitz. It wouldn't be the most exciting celebration, he figured, but he couldn't just simply call up France and Spain and drink and prowl through Berlin's clubs anymore. Not that he really missed being surrounded by drunk, smoky mortals when he could melt into Lili's arms.

Lili checked her cell phone surreptitiously as Gilbert told her about Maria's progress in toilet training and her newfound love of potato dumplings. Her surprise was on-track; she smiled and when Gilbert asked what amused her, she shrugged it off as Vash's overprotectiveness.

Ludwig was a polite and efficient host to them, offering them a light supper. He actually asked Lili some questions and directed comments towards her, a marked improvement from previous encounters. She checked the time and reminded herself not to be anxious; if there were any problems, she would have received a text message. She watched Maria play calmly with a set of blocks Ludwig kept for her. _She seems so at home here_, she thought and then she froze. She remembered how Vash had warned her about Ludwig's interest in the child, and how she and even Gilbert only enjoyed her at his pleasure. Was it true? She thought as she studied the two brothers talking about German issues. She couldn't imagine Ludwig having the time to devote to a small child, nor his tidy home filled with expensive electronics and antiques being a good place for a toddler. _Of course,_ she could hear Vash say_, he'll let Gilbert do all the donkey work and he'll take her when she'll be at school most of the day._ She pursed her lips and shoved the thought to the back of her mind.

The doorbell rang and Ludwig's three dogs sprang up and ran to the front door. Ludwig got up and commanded the dogs to quiet and sit. She could hear happy male voices and she smiled knowingly as Gilbert raised an eyebrow at her.

"_Bruder_, I have a couple of visitors who want to borrow you for the evening!" Ludwig came back into the parlor, followed by Denmark and England. Gilbert started laughing and got up to shake their hands.

"Epic Fail Bros!" He shouted. Maria looked up at the noise of the new arrivals. She got up and padded over to Lili, who held her. Matthias Køhler and Arthur Kirkland turned to look at the child.

"She's adorable." Matthias squatted down and tried to whistle her over. Maria shook her head and burrowed it in Lili's lap.

"She's not a dog, you silly git," Arthur said. He looked sympathetically at Lili. "She's probably overwhelmed and ready for bed." He walked over and studied the child, who looked up and seemed less intimidated by the shorter, slighter man. "Good night, little love," he said gently in German, "we're taking your father out for fun and we'll bring him back safe and sound."

"Come on, you," Denmark said to Gilbert as he grabbed his coat. "Let's go! There's a meter of beer calling your name!"

England walked over to Ludwig. "Don't worry about us. We've got a hotel room and he can crash there. We'll bring him back in shipshape condition tomorrow morning so they can get to Potsdam at a decent hour." Ludwig looked relieved. "Go on then, enjoy yourselves," he said.

Gilbert came over to kiss Lili and Maria goodbye. "Are you okay with this, Lili?" He whispered. "I won't go if you aren't."

Lili started laughing. "This is my birthday gift to you, _Schatz_." She was pleased to see his expression shift from concern to surprise to joy. "You deserve a night off with friends. Go have fun."

Gilbert's smile reminded her of all the times she had managed to please him. "You are awesome," he murmured as he kissed her. "I'll be back tomorrow morning. Sleep well, and _danke, Liebling_." He stood up, rumpled Maria's hair and strode over to his friends. Lili noted his old swagger had returned. "Let's go get wrecked!" He declared, and the Epic Fail Brothers sauntered into the cold Berlin night.

Ludwig came back into the parlor after closing the door behind them. He sat down and coolly appraised Lili. Suddenly she became aware of the room's silence; only an antique grandfather clock and the snuffling of dogs broke the stillness.

"So did you know about those fellows showing up at my door and whisking my brother away?" Ludwig finally said. His voice sounded amused, but his pale blue eyes were unreadable.

Lili suddenly felt very small and as if she had done something wrong. "I wanted to surprise Gilbert. He's been unable to get out and socialize since he's found Maria, and I thought it would be a nice break for him." When they skyped and talked in bed, she heard how frustrated and lonely he had felt, even as he protested that he loved Maria. She knew he had been used to going out with his friends and the child's sudden arrival had changed all that.

Ludwig smiled, but it was still hard for her to tell if it were a kind one or not. His eyes never changed. "Ja, you like surprising people, don't you, Liechtenstein." Lili knew exactly what he meant; she had had to lie and hide the plan she and Gilbert had crafted in order for him to regain an official existence as a personification of Brandenburg and Eastern Germany. She had apologized and been patient. Now she started to feel that her gift of a night out for Gilbert had set things back between her and Ludwig.

"I just wanted to do something nice for him. If I had told him, he would have refused," she mumbled. Maria had crawled into her lap and rested against her, sucking her braid. Lili rocked her. "I'm sorry if you don't like it, Ludwig." _I'm sorry for everything_, she thought and she felt the tears come to her eyes.

Ludwig shrugged. She looked up and saw the smile had reached his eyes, but it didn't make them any warmer or kinder. _He's enjoying this_, she realized_, he wants to see me cry._ For a second, she imagined throwing herself at his feet, weeping and begging for his forgiveness, promising anything as long as he ended his terrible coldness and allowed her to be a part of Maria's life. But when the picture came into her head, it repelled her. She could even hear Gilbert's voice: _Mein Gott, Lili, get up! You're a principality, not some conquered state._

"You're lucky I didn't plan anything special for my _Bruderherz's_ birthday," Ludwig's voice sounded amused. "What if _I_ had had a surprise for him?"

"Then I would have called Denmark and England and fixed things," Lili said. "I would have managed it. Your surprise would have outranked mine, Germany." It was easier to say than do, she realized, but the thought reassured her and allowed her to lift her chin and return Ludwig's gaze.

The two nations stared at each other as the clock ticked and Maria wiggled in Lili's lap to get more comfortable. Lili changed her hold on the child and arose from her chair. "I'm going to get Maria ready for bed and then I'll bring her down to say '_Gute Nacht_' to you," she announced. Ludwig nodded, and she went upstairs.

Maria fidgeted and mumbled sleepily until she saw Lili take the wrapped box out of her luggage. Her eyes sparkled and she reached out for it. "Mine?" She asked, but Lili shook her head.

"This is for Onkel Ludi. You and I are going to give him a present. It will make him happy. You want to see Onkel Ludi happy, ja?" To her relief, Maria nodded. "Come with me." Lili held her hand out to the child and she took it. They walked carefully down the stairs, Lili watching Maria's slippered feet and balancing her so she wouldn't slip or fall.

Ludwig looked up and Lili noted that when his gaze fell upon the child, his smile was pure delight. "_Mein kleiner Engel_1!" He said, and Lili felt a stab of jealousy. She managed to smile politely as he held out his arms to Maria. Lili squatted down and whispered into the child's ear. "I give you the box, but you give it to Onkel Ludi. Can you give Onkel Ludi the box?" Maria nodded and Lili handed her the wrapped box she had kept behind her back. She found herself willing the child not to open it or make a scene as she walked her over to a curious Ludwig.

"Onkel Ludi," Maria said and froze, clinging to the package. Lili kneeled down again and reminded the child to give the box to Ludwig. To her relief, Maria held the box to Ludwig, who seemed touched. When Lili saw the warmth in his eyes, she remembered how he had once looked at her kindly in the past when he had confided that she had been his favorite cousin and the best thing to happen to Gilbert. _And then it was all gone_, she lamented.

"For me?" Ludwig pretended to be surprised, but Lili could see it was genuine under the exaggerated voice and gesture. He took the package and opened it. When he undid the wrappings and tissue paper, she saw him hesitate. Carefully, he drew out the antique tree angel that Lili and Austria had hunted down in Vienna. He studied it, turning it around in his large hands. Lili held her breath; she knew that Ludwig knew his antiques and even with Roderich's bargaining, it had been expensive.

"This is lovely. Exquisite." He looked up and Lili smiled hopefully. He smiled and she felt as if a gust of warm wind had blown into the room, raising the temperature by a few degrees. Ludwig put the angel back into the box and pulled Maria in for a hug and kiss on her head. Lili was startled at how his gestures reminded her of Gilbert. "_Ein Engel von einem Engel. Danke_."2 He glanced over at Lili, and she nodded. Ludwig gently steered Maria back to her arms. "_Gute Nacht_, Maria," he whispered. Maria waved as she stuck her braid back into her mouth and took Lili's hand. As Lili turned to lead her back up the stairs, she heard Ludwig clear his throat. She turned and saw him. The terrible cold eyes were warm and bright. "Danke, Lili. It was a lovely surprise."

"I'm so glad you like it, Ludwig," Lili said. She felt the warmth rise to her cheeks and she breathed deeply to control herself. "Thank you for letting us stay here. _Gute Nacht_!"

"_Gute Nacht_, Lili." His deep voice sounded soft and dark, like a blanket placed over her. Lili nodded and hurried Maria up the stairs. Later, when the child was in her travel bed and her breathing indicated she was fast asleep, Lili allowed herself to sob in relief, all the past years' stress running down her cheeks and soaking the pillow.

**Phew! I'm feeling a little bit better; how about you? Let me know in a review-was Ludwig too easily bought or will these two have more trouble down the road?**

* * *

1 German: my little angel

2 German: an angel from an angel. Thank you.


	8. Chapter 8 Growth

**Chapter 8 Growth**

**A long chapter, but with cute fluffy details as Maria gets older. Also, Vash shows up to spoil the party.**

Winter melted into spring. As the days grew longer and the weather warmer, Gilbert found he enjoyed his days with Maria more. They could spend more time outside, and he preferred playing hide-and-seek or football with her to having tea parties inside. He took her to the _Tiergarten_ in Neustrelitz to see the Barbary macaques play and climb; Maria could mimic their noises with unnerving accuracy. On weekends, they took the train to other towns and cities in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern; he wanted her to get a feel for all parts of her state. They walked along the banks of Lake Müritz, where he pointed out cranes, storks and the occasional eagle flying by for prey.

Gilbert had never given the region much thought when it had been split into two duchies; he had always considered it a backwater. But now he could see the beauty of it for the first time and he made a list of cities, museums and parks for Maria to visit when she was older. And she was growing: the child who had seemed a disturbing combination of human form and animal capability was now becoming recognizably human. She had finished with diapers, even at night, and she was pretty capable of feeding herself. She could now speak in complete sentences, and her vocabulary grew every day.

She surprised Gilbert when they had said farewell to Lili at the train station. It was April and they had had a wonderful week together that had culminated with a guided tour of the cranes' sleeping area at Lake Müritz. Best of all, to Gilbert's mind, was that he and Lili were able to talk and make love. He looked forward to her monthly visits and how she seemed to revive him and the apartment's atmosphere. She had reminded him to prepare for each day as if it were part of a military campaign, so he and Maria would be ready for anything that may occur. He liked the analogy. He also studied her interactions with the little girl to see how she could turn what he thought were boring wastes of time—tea parties, dressing up—into teaching moments for words and concepts. As she kissed him just before going onto the train, he clung to her.

"I wish you could stay a little longer," he whispered. They had lain entwined in each other's bodies that morning, kissing and whispering to each other, until they heard Maria roll out of her bed and begin to cry in surprise.

"Me too, Schatz," she replied. "But I must go." Reluctantly, she pulled away and placed a smile on her face. "Good bye, see you two in May!" She got a seat near the window and waved and blew kisses at them until the train had left the station. Gilbert remembered feeling especially low. As he strapped Maria into her car seat, she stared at him with her wide amethyst eyes and asked, "Is Vati sad?"

Normally Gilbert would have protested he was fine, but he paused. What did it matter if he told the child the truth? She wasn't going to use it against him. "Ja," he sighed, "Vati is sad."

Maria held out her arms towards him. "_Es tut mir leid_," she said, with a look on her face that reminded him of Lili.1

"Ach, _Liebling_, you didn't do anything to make Vati sad!" He said gently. He hesitated to tell her the truth; he didn't want her wailing about Muti being gone.

"_Es tut mir leid _Vati is sad," Maria said, still holding her arms out to him. Gilbert paused and studied the child. Her eyes were filled with compassion. _Mein Gott,_ he thought, _die kleine Äffin_ actually feels sympathy!2 He smiled and let her put her arms around his neck.

"You are a good girl, Maria," he whispered. He kissed her cheek and got into the driver's seat. As they drove back to the apartment, he wondered if she could see his face in the rearview mirror.

She became better at amusing herself. On days when she wasn't at the _Tagesmutter's_ house, she would sit with him while he worked on his blog or checked correspondence. Often she would play with blocks or puzzles or her dolls and stuffed animals. Gilbert would half-hear her conversations with Willi and Gilbird as she played tea party or school with them and her toys. Sometimes she would grow bored and say, "Vati, play with me!"

"Not yet, _Spatzchen_," he'd murmur while typing away at his laptop. "Vati is working."

Sometimes she'd go back to her own play, sometimes she'd whine (_Mein Gott!_ He hated the whining! Ludwig never whined, but Maria's voice could stab his brain more lethally than a stiletto), but once she plunked down next to him on the sofa with one of her picture books. She opened it, propped it on her lap and began tapping her fingers on the page.

Gilbert studied her, amused. "What are you doing, Maria?"

She didn't look up, fingers busily tapping. "Shh, Vati. I am working." He burst into laughter and ruffled her hair; he had given up on braiding it a long time ago. "All right, _Liebling_, we shall work together until lunch, ja?"

Spring heated into summer. Now was the time when Mecklenburg-Vorpommern swelled with German tourists heading towards the Baltic sea resorts and fishing towns. Gilbert grumbled when he saw the low availability and high prices of lodgings. Surely the personification of the state deserved a discount. When he talked to Ludwig, his brother said he would try to do something about and contact the mortals in charge of some of the Baltic coast cities. To his great pleasure, Gilbert received fulsome letters from the city officials of Rostock, Graal-Müritz and Kühlungsborn inviting Maria and her guardians to vacation at a discounted rate at local hotels. _Kesesese,_ he laughed to himself, it was good to be the older brother of the Federal Republic of Germany and the guardian of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern!

Lili brought Vash with her in June when they spent a week in Rostock and Warnermünde. Gilbert didn't care if Vash was impressed with the Hanseatic architecture in Rostock or not; he was pleased that the Swiss nation actually was willing to rent a sailboat when they stayed at a little beach house at Warnermünde. They went sailing on a clear day, and Vash and Lili expertly handled the boat. Gilbert and Maria stayed out of the way, obediently moving from one side to another when Vash barked at them. Gilbert was proud of Maria's bravery and curiosity; not once did she whimper when the boat leaned over as the wind filled the sails. Instead, she laughed and stuck her face into the wind. He vowed she would never learn to swim by being tossed into deep waters.

Later, when Lili had put the exhausted child to bed, Vash and Gilbert had shared a beer as they watched the sunset. Vash turned and raised an eyebrow at him.

"So when are you going to tell everyone that you have kidnapped the love child of Austria and Lithuania?" He asked.

Gilbert was too tired and happy to take offense. "Lili told me Estonia came up with that one, Vash. Her eyes are lighter than Roderich's, and you'd never see him or Toris react to wind and water like she did today!" He enjoyed boasting about her.

Vash shrugged. "She's definitely fond of the ocean. That's a good thing for her." He drank some more beer. "So what does Ludwig think of the little Balt?"

Now Gilbert's good mood soured. "She's German, Vash! And Ludwig thinks she's awesome!" That was the truth; he saw how his brother relaxed and softened when he visited and played with the child.

A little smile played on Vash's lips. "She doesn't look German, Gilbert. Those eyes, those cheekbones." Gilbert was about to protest, but Vash glared at him. "And neither do you, Gilbert."

Gilbert froze and glared back. "_Wat zum Teufel_ do you mean, Vash?" He controlled his voice even as his fingers gripped his beer and chair arm.

Vash's smile grew broader. "Oh come on, Gilbert. We all know you say you came out of the Holy Land, supposedly with German crusaders. But did you really? Weren't there a bunch of Old Prussians here before you arrived?" He took another sip of beer. "I looked it up online and you know what Old Prussian sounds like? A Slavic language." He paused. "It sure as hell isn't Germanic."

"Ja, like Swiss German sounds 'German.'" Gilbert sneered. He felt an unpleasant twist in his stomach. This was not the first time someone questioned his background. Other German states, and even Ludwig, had hinted that Hitler had questioned his ethnicity. According to Ludwig, the Führer had wondered aloud about Gilbert's coloring, his long eyes, high cheekbones and sharp straight nose, his quick mood changes. He had even muttered the dreaded word—_Slavic—_when wondering about Gilbert's background. Ludwig had made a point of defending his brother against these charges, but they still haunted Gilbert. "News alert, Vash. I killed those Old Prussians, wiped them out to make a German state. But what's your real point? You're fond of plain dealing. So let's deal."

To his surprise, Vash paused. "You actually found her on the beach of Graal-Müritz?"

"Ja, you idiot! Ask Lili! She was there. She wouldn't lie!" Gilbert had to remind himself that Lili was putting Maria to sleep, so he hissed his insults.

Vash chuckled to himself. "She would to protect you, Gilbert. We already know that." He stared meaningfully at Gilbert, as if to remind him that he knew Lili had kept their relationship secret for several months. "But if you insist that you found the child where you did, I won't quarrel with you. The question is, if she originated there or wandered from somewhere else."

Gilbert bit his lip and took a deep breath. "Vash, why does it matter to you whether Maria is a German state or a little Balt or Slav that wandered into Mecklenburg? Seriously, you don't have a dog in this fight."

"I don't want Lili to be heartbroken, that's all." Vash admitted. "I don't want her to put all this care, love and time into a child that might not be what she thinks it is."

Gilbert stared at him in disgust. Always the guardedness, the unwillingness to take a risk in the world. _What a puny life you lead_, he thought. But he heard Lili's steps coming down the stairs so he bit his tongue. "Love, care and time is never wasted on a child, no matter what it is," he said. And as Lili approached, he turned to smile at her. When she saw him, and smiled in return, he held out his arms to her and she walked into them, kissing his lips as he wrapped her into his embrace. He saw in his peripheral vision that Vash had to look away. _Take that, you miser,_ Gilbert thought as he embraced the entity he considered Maria's mother. Lili sidled onto his lap and his grin grew.

"So is our little angel asleep, _meine Dame_?" He said, just loud enough for Vash to hear.

"Ja, the sailing wore her out, but she loved it!" Lili said. "She kept asking, 'Can we do it again?'" She looked hopefully towards Vash, who was studying his beer bottle. He barely nodded at his adopted sister's question. "Depends on the weather," he muttered.

"Of course," Gilbert said sweetly. He kissed Lili, coaxing her mouth open as he caressed her cheek and neck. Suddenly, he shifted her over his shoulder and stood up. "Well, we'll need to go to bed early tonight if we go sailing tomorrow! _Gute Nacht, _Vash!" He called as he carried the giggling, blushing Lili up to their bedroom.

Later in bed, he grumbled, "I wonder what that American state Colorado sees in him. She seems so chill and open-minded, and he is so uptight."

Lili rubbed his back. "That's why he likes her, Gilbert. She gets his sense of humor and he feels safe with her." She had seen how Vash and Melinda, the state of Colorado, interacted with each other when she visited. They spent most of their time skiing, shooting and hiking, and Vash's silence seemed relaxed when he sat with her in the evenings.

"To each his own." Gilbert liked how his motto from his days as Prussia could apply to so many situations. He rolled over to face Lili and played with her fine blonde hair. He couldn't help smiling as he studied her large green eyes and perfectly curved lips. "I wish you could stay with us all summer," he whispered.

"I wish you could bring Maria down to the Alps for a week or two," Lili replied. "We have lakes, my National Day in August, the Donkey Festival in Maldun, Austria's music festival…"

"When she gets older, Liebling," Gilbert gently touched the tip of her nose. "Right now she needs to spend a lot of her time in her region, so she can grow strong and healthy." Lili nodded, and curled up against him. "Soon," she sighed sweetly, "soon."

By September, Maria had grown. Lili noticed this immediately, since she only saw the child one week out of every month. "Mein Gott," she gasped when Maria and Gilbert met her at the train station. "She must have grown a decimeter since the beginning of the summer!" Maria's head had come up to the top of Lili's thighs; now she could rest it upon her lower stomach.

"I'm getting bigger, Muti!" Maria hugged her and looked up. Her amber-colored hair flew past her shoulders. Her body was not as pudgy anymore and as they left the station, Lili marveled at how coordinated she was as she skipped between her and Gilbert. _She's not a toddler anymore_, she thought, _but a real little girl._

Gilbert told Lili about how Maria thrived during their summer visits to the Baltic coast. She plunged into the surf, laughing and calling for him to join her. He'd creep in, still frightened of getting too far and being pulled under by the waves. But Maria would bob in the water and when it came over her head, she simply sputtered and smiled; it was as if she had been born knowing how to hold her breath and blow out bubbles. She would beg him to come out farther and he would shake his head, protesting, "I'm made out of sugar, _Spatzchen_. I'll melt!" The first time he said that, she rode a wave back to where he stood, looked up at him and asked, "Is that why you have white hair and skin?"

Gilbert nodded. "Ja, that's it." He looked down at his feet in the water and pretended to shudder. "Mein Gott, my feet are melting away! Back to dry land!" He retreated as Maria rolled in the wet sand, laughing.

The child managed to eat an impressive amount of food, all sorts of fish and shellfish, as well as bread, potatoes, vegetables and fruits. When Lili decided to make cookies, Maria eagerly volunteered to help. Lili tried to use this as an opportunity to teach basic math with measurements, but Maria grew bored and wandered off to watch television instead. She would sit with crayons and paper, drawing endless pictures; Gilbert was surprised at the talent she had.

"Look at this picture she did of Willi," he said to Lili. She admired it. "She's the equivalent of a what? A four year old mortal? Ludwig didn't even draw this well when I hired tutors for him!"

"Then she has a talent and we should encourage it." Lili looked up at Gilbert and smiled. But he didn't look pleased. "What's wrong?"

Gilbert bit his lip. He didn't know if Lili would understand or care, but there were things about Maria that unnerved him. First, the child loved to talk; she would chatter in the car as they traveled, ramble from one observation to another as he tried to work, and engage her dolls and toys in spirited arguments. She was still shy and silent in front of most of the German states, but Monika and Ludwig would often look overwhelmed as they nodded to her nonstop chatter.

Maria loved clothes and dressing up. The _Tagesmutter_ reported that she would commandeer the costume box and put everything on, unconcerned that the fireman's helmet didn't match the princess dress. When she grew tired of the box's offerings, she drew pictures of fabulous costumes that seemed a mix of animal, bird, human and images from cartoons and commercials. She would show them to a flummoxed Gilbert and tell him that one costume was for when she would visit Onkel Ludi, the next was for dinner with him and Muti, and the one after that was for a fairy princess's ball. As her skill improved, her costumes took on an Eastern flair.

She was also revealing a stubborn streak. Gilbert expected that; she was German after all. But it was how the stubbornness manifested itself that troubled him. She had decided one night that Willi would sleep in her bed.

"Nein, Maria," Gilbert said. "He can sleep in his little basket right near your bed, but not in it."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because even the cleanest dogs are not clean enough to sleep in a human bed," he explained. "He'll shed hair, dirt from the day's playing about outside, dirt on his paws and—"

"Then wash him so he can sleep with me." It wasn't so much what she said as how she said it that made Gilbert freeze and stare at her. Maria's tone was not naïve or pleading, but arrogant, as if she were commanding him.

"Nein, I'm not washing that dog and drying him every night to sleep in your bed," he snapped. "He sleeps in his basket or he sleeps in my room."

Maria jutted her jaw at him and narrowed her eyes. "I want him in my bed!"

Gilbert glared back. "Nein!" He expected them to stare at each other and then the child would sulk and crawl under the covers, leaving the curious Pomeranian in his basket. But Maria grabbed the dog and pulled the blankets over their heads. Gilbert yanked them back, snarling, "Give me the dog!"

If she had been Ludwig, he would have expected her to stare stolidly at him, daring him to take the dog. Maybe she would have grunted, "Nein," and stuck out her lower lip. But the little minx actually looked down her straight nose at him as she lifted her head, pointed her finger at him and said, "Leave my room!"

Something about the child's proud stubbornness made Gilbert hot with fury. He remembered when another entity had pulled the same posture and commanded him in the same haughty tone. He had wanted to destroy that entity then, but he couldn't; instead he had been that nation's vassal and had had to humbly obey. And here was a child, _a girl_, pulling the same airs on him. For a second, he imagined grabbing her by the scruff of her neck and spanking her until she howled. That would show the little wench who was in charge! But then he remembered Ludwig had outlawed corporal punishment several years ago. Gilbert took a deep breath, tried to remember what Lili had told him the latest books said about discipline and said, "Give me Willi before I count to _drei_ or I will take him to the woods tomorrow and you will never see him again."

Maria's face blanched, but she still stared at him, head held high. "Ein," Gilbert said. He noted she clutched Willi tighter. "Zwei," he said. _Please don't make me do this,_ he thought; he had no idea what he was going to do with the little dog the next day. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth, when Maria shoved the startled dog off her bed.

"Here!" She burst into tears. "Take him!" Gilbert sat down to comfort her, but when he saw her face, he pulled back. Her tears weren't from remorse or fear, but rage at not getting her way. He could tell by the angry turn of her mouth and the red fury of her eyes' whites contrasting with her amethyst irises. _Spoiled brat_, he thought as he picked up the spinning, anxious Pomeranian, turned off the light and went to bed.

The next morning she had woken up, chattering happily about what she was going to do at the _Tagesmutter's _ that day, what kind of horses she would own when she grew up, and how she wished Muti or Tante Monika would make her a red velvet robe with black fur on the sleeves and collar. Only when Gilbert tried to kiss her before he left, did she turn her head away with any resentment over the previous night.

When Gilbert told this story to Lili, she looked thoughtful. "Does she act this way at the _Tagesmutter's_ house?" she asked.

Gilbert shook his head. "Nein. She says she is cheerful and follows the rules. She talks a lot, but that's it."

"Maybe we're spoiling her," Lili mused. "We need to start giving her simple chores that a child her age can do. When she doesn't do them, she can't watch her favorite DVD or play with a favorite toy. We'll have to start telling her 'Nein' more often. Clear, consistent rules! And no giving in to tantrums!"She nodded as if the problem were solved. Then she gently stroked his arm. "As to the talking and the clothes, that's just being a girl, _Schatz._ I used to change the ribbons and trim on my dresses all the time andI would pretend my dolls were my friends and have them talk to me."

Gilbert looked at Lili. He was about to protest that it wasn't just the stubbornness or Maria's love of talk and clothes, but how it presented itself, tied in with the child's other traits. Her mercurial moods, her chatter, her artistic flair, her ridiculous self-assurance and pride; he remembered Vash's sly words about her origins and shuddered.

**Hmmm, it's getting complicated-what do you think is going on? Please review!**

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1 German: I'm sorry

2 German: the little chimp


	9. Chapter 9 First Memories

**Chapter 9 First Memory**

**Here's the first chapter from Maria's point of view**

Maria had a hard time answering the question, "What is your first memory?" She felt as if she were being asked to look at puzzle pieces scattered on the floor and pick the one that should go first. She could see images like shards of glass, glimmering in the light and then disappearing. She couldn't assign a time or even a place for some of them and she couldn't figure out the order to construct an accurate narrative. But they were hers, anyway, and she would take them out and study them for as long as they lasted in her mind.

She remembered digging in wet sand, watching water rush into the holes she made and smooth their edges out and fill them. She remembered gulls crying and swooping; their red-rimmed eyes and pointed beaks frightened her. She recalled the waves' constant background noise, a comforting _whoosh_ that made her feel safe.

She sees herself in a bed, too overwhelmed to cry or do anything but clutch the soft object the two strangers have given her. One being is tall with short white hair and a loud laugh that reminds her of the seagulls'; she doesn't like the sound, but he seems kind and protective, unlike the gulls. There is another stranger, a little one with blond hair and green eyes. This one speaks softly and frequently to her, repeating certain sounds over and over. She starts to learn what they mean. _Vati_ is the tall, white-haired man who carries her. _Muti_ is the short talker. _Bruno _is the biggest four-legged creature she has ever seen, a black beast with gentle brown eyes. _Willi _is the small gray fluffy thing that barked at her. Finally, she learns that she is _Maria _and she belongs to them and they to her.

Now she is sitting on some kind of perch, staring at pale yellow squares and white half moons with green edges. _Muti _is telling her their names, but she can't remember. She takes one of the half moons and sticks it in her mouth: delicious, crispy and sweet.

She recalls a walk with Vati in the woods. She feels nervous, wondering when the water will appear. She misses the ocean's call, the sand under her toes. But Vati is smiling down at her and she figures she will keep walking, because he is Vati and she trusts him. She studies the hand she holds onto; it is larger than Muti's, not as soft, and she sees silvery lines across the thin skin and knuckles.

There are other big people. There are two tall blonde people, even taller than Vati, and she is frightened of them. They look like visitors from the sun and they talk loudly, as if they own the place she shares with Muti and Vati. They look kindly at her and give her a ball, but something about them makes her feel nervous. She feels they want something from her, she can see it in their blue eyes and hungry smiles, but she doesn't know what it is.

She remembers a new place, with different toys and four other little people like herself. She feels excited and relieved to be around others her size. They immediately understand her and she can be at ease with them in the sandbox, playing side by side. The first time one takes a bucket, she is astonished; she is used to people giving her things, not taking them away. She bursts into tears.

She is pressing her nose against a glass window and she is amazed at how cold it is. She's even more amazed when her nose leaves a clear patch on the cloudy white surface. Vati kneels down and shows her that if she breathes on it and rubs it with her coat sleeve, she can clear away the white and see inside the glass. She does and she sees a collection of wooden figures and houses on white fluffy cloth. Some of them move turn in circles. In the background, real people are walking about, looking at things on shelves and walls. Vati calls it a store.

Muti is showing her how to make Willi sit. She watches Muti hold a piece of cheese over his head and move it until his fat little haunches sink onto the floor. Muti says, "Willi, sit!" and gives him the cheese. She wants to do it, but Muti tells her to wait and watch. So Willi sits again. Now it's her turn; she holds the cheese in front of Willi's black nose and he takes it. She feels his hard little teeth on her fingers and she screams, more from surprise than anything else. She hears the call of gulls again, and looks up; Vati has been watching and now he is laughing at her. She doesn't like him doing that and she scowls; he laughs harder, and now she cries in earnest anger at how big and heartless he is and how she can't make him stop. But Muti says things to him in a sharp voice, and she gathers Maria into her slight, warm body, smoothing her hair. She kisses her finger and says it's fine and Vati didn't mean to make her cry.

The world has turned white and cold overnight. Vati calls it "snow" and he wraps her up in so many layers of clothes that she starts to feel itchy and sweaty. He takes her outside and she can feel her nose grow numb. The sky is a strange silver color and the trees are dark brown sticks. She watches Vati's gloved hands make a ball of the white powdery stuff that they walk upon. He throws it up in the air and they laugh when it falls it apart on the sidewalk. He guides her small, clumsy, red-mittened hands around the snow; she feels his warm palms help hers press it into a ball. He's talking to her, explaining how to throw it. She studies how his hair almost matches the gray sky, how when he looks at her and says, "Ready?" she realizes his eyes are not dark brown like Willi's, but actually a dark red, a maroon like the pillows on their couch at home. She is so taken, that she drops the snow ball and taps the pale thin skin under his eyes. He blinks, and then smiles, the corners of his eyes crinkling, and she thinks she is lucky to have the only red-eyed father in the world.

The blonde people don't scare her anymore. She knows they have names now: Tante Monika and Onkel Ludi. She loves Onkel Ludi; his golden hair, blue eyes, strong chin and proud carriage remind her of the princes in her story books. His deep voice no longer scares her. She's fascinated by his hair and how it lies so closely to his head. When she touches it, it feels crisp and hard, unlike Muti's or Vati's. She likes to make him laugh, since he seems sad until he sees her.

She's sitting next to Muti on the couch, looking at a book. She's looking at the drawing of an apple, but Muti keeps tapping the marks under the illustration. She says "Ah"and taps a set of marks. She wants Maria to repeat the sound, which is easy. Then she taps another set of marks and asks if Maria can say "Bee"; she does. Muti then goes back to the page with the apple and asks what the marks are. Maria pauses, remembers and says, "Ah." Muti smiles; she is as pretty as the dolls in Tante Monika's glass cabinet at her house.

There's a crowd of grown-ups and they are all talking loudly. It's Onkel Ludi's house but it smells and looks different. There's a tree with lights and shiny balls on it in the parlor where she usually plays. She is tired: tired of sitting still at a table with food that looks and smells funny, tired of the grown ups staring at her and asking her questions she doesn't understand, tired of their giant bodies that take up space so she can't run around the house. She wants to lie down but she also wants to see what the shiny balls are made of. One in particular intrigues her; it looks like a soap bubble, reflecting blue, pink and yellow from the sparkly lights that hover in the tree's stiff branches. She grabs a branch to draw the bubble closer. It feels stiff and slightly sticky. She pulls and before she knows it the tree has come to life, a shaking, rattling monster that lunges at her.

She remembers drawing after dinner, sprawled on the Oriental carpet, Willi stretched out by her side. Muti and Vati are in the kitchen, their voices a comforting murmur under clinking dishes and running water. She hums and finishes three drawings, waiting for them to come into the parlor so they can watch a DVD before bedtime. She hums louder, hoping they hear her impatience and hurry up. Instead, she hears laughter, not Vati's usual seagull cackle, but a soft whicker, and Muti's little trills like the sounds Onkel Ludi makes on his piano. She gets up and pads into the kitchen to remind them that they are supposed to watch the new American cartoon with her. She stops in the doorway.

Muti is sitting in Vati's lap and cupping his face with her small hands. They're smiling at each other, Muti's short blond hair swaying over her cheeks as Vati rubs his fine sharp nose against her small upturned one. Vati's hand runs up and down Muti's waist. For a second, Maria feels a terrible hot feeling in her chest; she wants to run to them and break them apart, demand _she _is the only one who should sit on Vati's lap and get Muti's caresses and smiles. But the strange feeling fades away and she watches and listens to them murmur to each other. She feels safe, even relieved that they are as kind to each other as they are to her. She wants to be with them, but she suddenly feels shy, as if they are strangers.

Vati sees her first. "We have a little spy," he says, and Muti turns to gaze on her. When she smiles at Maria, she feels warm; even before Muti extends her hand to her, she knows she is invited to join them. She runs to them and wraps one arm around Muti and the other around Vati, squeezing as tightly as she can to hold them close to her. She feels their hands—Muti's soft fine ones, Vati's strong, calloused fingers—press her into their circle and stroke her hair. She feels absolutely safe; she feels love.

**I hope you enjoyed the fluff and that my American readers had a great Thanksgiving!**


	10. Chapter 10 The Talk

**Chapter 10 The Talk**

**Bad Touch Trio! Maria learns some valuable information**

"It's awesome!" Gilbert boasted to Antonio and Francis; they were taking a break during the World Meeting in London. His parental leave was up and he was back to attending meetings, as well as the German states' _Bundesrat._ He was telling his friends about his childcare arrangements for Maria. "She plays outside everyday in the woods near Lake Müritz, and she is so happy and filled with new things she learns. Best of all," he nodded knowingly to his friends, "she sleeps like a rock at night!"

Spain raised an eyebrow. "I could see that working in my country, but you're in Northern Germany! It has to get too cold to let _los más pequeños _play outside!"1

Gilbert shrugged. "I just bundle her up in the right clothing. Lili and Vash gave me great advice on the proper underwear and layers. They have a shelter and they go inside for a little bit, but they're out there everyday, rain, sun, or snow." Antonio and Francis still looked a little concerned, but he had seen how the _Waldkindergarten_ took care of the children.2 Besides, Maria loved it, and Gilbert figured he had spent most of his childhood out of doors in less clothing and enjoyable circumstances, so this was a good thing.

"Who's watching _la petite fille_ while you and Liechtenstein are here, _mon copain_?" France asked.

"I hired an au pair," Gilbert responded. He had tried to get Lower Saxony or Thuringia to watch Maria every week he was gone for World Meetings, but it had not worked out. Instead, he had decided to hire an au pair who could help with Maria in the afternoons after she came home from _Waldkindergarten_ and during the weeks he was away. He had tried a couple of local girls: one promptly left when she went to university out of Mecklenberg-Vorpommern and the other decided to live with a boy she met on holiday in Schleswig-Holstein. He had hired a Polish mortal, a young woman named Sofia, who was cheerful, inexpensive, and best of all, committed to staying in Germany. He told Francis and Antonio how hard-working and patient Sofia was, and how Maria seemed to like her.

"Honhonhon," France chuckled. "Does Lili know about _la polonaise_? You know what my boss Napoleon said about them. _Les femmes les plus belles d'Europe!_"3 He winked knowingly at Gilbert.

Gilbert rolled his eyes. He had had his share of Polish females from his tragic, troubled relationship with Poland's sister, the Baltic port city of Gdansk. "You know I can't stand how mortals smell," he grumbled. "Besides, she doesn't live with us; she has an apartment that she shares with her roommate when she's not taking care of Maria."

Francis shrugged; he was known for gifting his mortal conquests with beautiful perfumes, so the lingering undernotes of rot never bothered him. "Someday I must come and visit you, see _ton petite et la polonaise,_" he purred.4"I would like to see the delicate beauty, the innocent charm, the—"

Spain interrupted him."Pictures, _hermano, _ I demand pictures of Maria!" Gilbert was only too happy to show him the latest photos of Maria he had on his phone. Antonio grinned and shook his head in admiration at the little girl playing in the Baltic surf or proudly walking Willi in the snow-covered forest. "She's what, five years old now?"

"Approximately." Gilbert couldn't help smiling as he looked at the pictures with his friends. Maria did most of her growing during the summer months; it made sense since that was when Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's population and economy grew. Right now, her head rested at his hip or Lili's waist; she was definitely going to be taller than her Muti when she was done growing.

And speaking of Lili, there she was, coming up to the Bad Touch Trio with Switzerland, Austria, and Hungary. They clustered around Gilbert's phone with France and Spain, checking out the new photos. "Should we call her now?" Lili asked.

"Let's wait until after dinner, Liebling," Gilbert said. "She's not back from _Waldkindergarten _yet." The group of nations began to walk towards Westminster, where the World Meetings were held. He was so happy to be back among adults, talking about important things, as well as catching up on all the latest gossip. It was good to hear someone call him "Eastern Germany" or "Gilbert" or even "Idiot"; he needed to remember that he was something other than _Vati_ or Herr Bielschmidt, Maria's _Vater_. Best of all, he loved it when he and Lili lay in each other's arms at night, and she called him _irh Ritter, irh Geliebter, ihr Preußen._5 They didn't have to worry about curious little ears or eyes venturing on their lovemaking and demanding an explanation.

By the end of the week, Gilbert felt refreshed and keen to see his little girl and hear about her latest discoveries, triumphs, and observations. He parted tenderly with Lili, who promised to join him in a week, and caught his flight with Ludwig back to Berlin. When he got back to Neustrelitz in the evening, he was eager to see Maria and spend some time with her before her bedtime. As he unlocked his apartment door, he smiled when he heard her squeal and Sofia's voice remind her that Vati was coming.

The child darted into his arms, full of kisses and cries of "Vati, I missed you!" He loved the faint scent of pine and ocean air that lingered around her neck and hair and he realized how much he had missed her energy and the way she gazed adoringly at him. Lili had said he was her hero, but she said it as an adult, fully aware of the failures and shame he had overcome in his existence; when Maria looked at him, it was without that past. To her, he was simply the handsomest, wisest, funniest, most awesome _Vater_ that ever lived.

"And I missed you, _Spatzchen!" _He said, kissing her cheeks. Maria grabbed his hand and tugged him towards the kitchen table. "Sofia and I made dinner," she said proudly. "We made _kiełbaski__, kapusta __i ziemniaki _!" Gilbert froze; the child had pronounced the Polish perfectly. "Do you know what I just said, Vati?" She asked.

"Ja," he said slowly. "You said 'sausages, cabbage and potatoes' in Polish." He turned to look at Sofia, whose expression shifted from proud to worried.

Maria didn't catch the tone in his voice. "How did you know that, Vati? You spoiled my surprise!"

"I'm fluent in Polish, _Liebling_." He bent down and kissed the child on her head. Sofia brought the serving dishes to the table and stood awkwardly, twisting her hands.

Gilbert looked up at her. "Ja?" He really hoped she wasn't expecting to eat with them; he was already beginning to wonder if he could get another au pair, a _German_ one.

Sofia smiled nervously. "Herr Bielschmidt, something happened at the _Waldkindergarten_ on Friday that I wanted to tell you about in person." She lowered her voice. "The director and teacher want to talk to you about it tomorrow morning. Otherwise, they don't want Maria to come back."

Gilbert paused, serving spoon with cabbage still in the air. "What happened?" He turned to look at his child, who was happily smashing her boiled potatoes all over her plate.

Sofia swallowed hard. "She insulted a classmate and the teacher." She leaned closer. "Furthermore, when I talked to her about this, she insulted _me." _The Polish woman's blue almond-shaped eyes began to shimmer.

"I said you smelled like dead sausage. I _like_ dead sausage," Maria replied, taking a bite from the wurst on her fork.

Sofia looked pained and then turned to Gilbert. "Apparently when her best friend in _Waldkindergarten _hugged her, she told her to go away because she smelled like a rotten dead fish. The child understandably was upset and told the teacher. When the teacher spoke to Maria, she said she smelled like a rotten dead fish also."

"But it's true—" Maria began to whine, but Gilbert cut her off with a sharp "_Ruhe!"_ He was starting to see all too well what had happened. He knew she would notice something at some point, but he didn't expect it to be so early and so bluntly, terribly managed. He studied Maria, who was eating in sulky silence. Then he sighed and pulled a chair out for Sofia. The au pair smiled and murmured, "Danke," as she helped herself to the food.

"Hypersensitive sense of smell runs in my side of the family," he said. It wasn't exactly a lie, he told himself, and besides Sofia was a mortal, a Polish one at that; lies didn't count in this kind of situation. "And as you might have figured out, blunt honesty runs in the family also."

"Vati says you should always tell the truth. Ja, Vati?" Maria looked expectantly at him, wide amethyst eyes shining.

"Ja, but sometimes you have to think of _how and when _to tell the truth, not just blurt it out," Gilbert sighed. He saw that Sofia seemed to relax a little. "For example, Maria, there's telling a truth to help someone and then there's telling the truth to hurt someone. Why did you say those things to your friend, teacher and Sofia? Did you think you were helping or hurting them?"

"They could take better baths?" Maria said. Gilbert noted that Sofia's lips tightened; he knew that look all too well.

"Nein, I'm sure that they all are very clean," he said, hoping that would not insult the Polish au pair. "You hurt their feelings, saying something like that."

Maria put her fork down, hurt. "But they hurt _my _nose," she began. "Sabine smelled awful, like that dead fish we found on the beach. Why can't _she_ take a bath?"

"I'll explain to you later," Gilbert sighed. He turned to Sofia, who had only picked at her small servings of food. "I'm very sorry for what she said to you." He turned to Maria, who was sulking. "Maria, please say 'I'm sorry' to Fraulein Sofia." The child opened her mouth to protest, but he shot her a warning glance. "Fraulein has been very good to you all week and has taught you some words in her own language. You should say sorry for saying such a thoughtless thing to her."

"_Es tut mir leid_, Sophia," Maria whispered. She slid off her chair and put her arms around the au pair's neck. Gilbert noted with amusement that she held her breath until her face turned red. "_Pryzko mi_," she gasped and then ran back to her seat.6 Sofia thanked her and then asked to be excused. Gilbert walked her back to the door and paid her for the week. When he returned to the table, he noted Maria had scraped the leftover sausage into Willi's dish. The little dog's greedy eating noises filled the small kitchen.

Gilbert sighed as he stared at Maria. "Maria, I have something important to tell you." He didn't know how he could put the concepts into words a kindergartener could understand, but he was going to try. "You need to pay attention, this is very important."

The child drew her chair closer to him and nodded. He was proud to see how serious her expression was. He took a deep breath and began. "The reason people like Sofia and your friends and teacher smell the way they do has nothing to do with bathing or their skin color or where they come from or anything like that. It's because they are different from us. They are mortals. That means that they will not live forever. They will die; their bodies will stop working and they will no longer move, feel or think. Do you understand that?" She nodded slowly.

"But you and I and Muti and Onkel Ludi and your other aunts and uncles are different," Gilbert continued. "We don't smell like them because we are not mortals. We are not going to die, at least not like they do."

"Are we angels?" Maria asked. He could see how hard she was working to understand by her furrowed brow.

"Nein, _Liebling_, we are not angels." Gilbert thought about all the unangelic things he and other nations had done over the centuries and he would have smirked if Maria were not staring so earnestly at him. "We are the spirits of nations or cities or states. We look like the people around us and we can get hurt and hungry and sick, but we are not exactly like them. We represent the places that the mortal people live in. Does that make sense?"

"So they live in us?" Maria started to look worried.

"Nein, we're not the land and the buildings, but we represent the spirit of the place. We aren't the mortals' parents or brothers or sisters, but we're kind of like them. We look out for them, we outlive them, but we also work for them." Gilbert was starting to get confused himself. How could he explain to her how she originated, how under certain circumstances and laws a nation could die? How could he tell a five-year child that her future was already set, to represent a part of a nation, to be the face and ears of a people when she actually wasn't one? He really needed another beer, he thought.

"What's a nation, Vati? What's a state?" Maria shifted in her seat.

This is why this kind of talk only works after an entity has learned a little history, Gilbert thought glumly. Ludwig hadn't asked about these things until he was older; but Ludwig had also not spent much time amongst mortals to where he realized the differences between himself and them. "A nation is a part of the world that has its own language and government, a sense among its people that they are independent and unique." He wondered if he should grab a dictionary or encyclopedia to read from. "A state can be part of a nation, like a building block. You put the blocks together and they form a nation, which is also called a country." He was pleased with the building block metaphor. "Actually, Maria, go get a box of your blocks and bring them here, ja?" She nodded eagerly and ran to her room. She returned with her box of wooden blocks and Gilbert pushed aside the dinner plates and took some of the blocks out and placed them on the table.

"Let's pretend that this block is a state," He said. "It has cities, towns, parks, forests, lakes and even is next to the ocean. Let's call it Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, which is the name of the state we live in." Maria nodded. He took another block and placed it next to the first. "This is another state, called Brandenburg, with its own cities and towns and people. But they're not countries, they're part of a collection of states, a nation called Germany." He took out more blocks and clustered them around the others. "So each state alone is pretty small, but when they come together they create a country because they speak the same language, and follow a set of rules that they agree upon." He hoped he hadn't made it too simple, but he was speaking to a five-year old.

"So I own this block, Vati?" Maria picked out the red block that represented her state. "So I'm a princess?" Her voice rose with excitement.

"Nein, you are a state, you're not the state's ruler. You represent the spirit of the land and people who live here. Just like I," Gilbert picked up the black block that represented Brandenburg, "represent the spirit of this state. And Tante Monika represents a block, like Tante Magda, but Onkel Ludi represents all of these." He waved his hand over the collection of blocks. "See how the group of blocks make a shape, Maria? Onkel Ludi is the nation of Germany, which is this shape." He looked back at the child. "Do you understand, Maria?"

She stuck a strand of hair in her mouth and nodded. Gilbert wondered if she was just humoring him. "Which block is Muti?" she asked.

"Muti is her own nation, not a state of Germany. Muti is a little country called Liechtenstein. And her brother, Onkel Vash, who took us sailing over the summer, is a country called Switzerland." He wanted to wrap this up; he was tired, and he was sure it was past her bedtime. "As you get older, you'll understand this better. But the main thing is that mortals smell like rotten meat because they're going to die, and nations don't_. And_ it's important to pretend you don't notice that smell on mortals or at least don't talk about it. They don't know they smell like that and it's not a nice thing to remind them about." He started to put the blocks back in their box and Maria helped him.

"Tomorrow, we're going back to _Waldkindergarten_ and I'm going to talk to your teacher about what you did on Friday," he reminded her as he tucked her into bed. "You are going to say you're sorry to your teacher and your friend and you're not going to mention dead fish or sausage or anything like that to mortals again, ja? And don't tell them that you represent a state or anything that I've told you about this. It's a secret!" Maria nodded, brain overloaded and ready to sleep. Gilbert kissed her smooth forehead. "_Guten nacht, mein klein Land_."7

**So what do you think of Gilbert's explanation to Maria? And what do you think of our little kindergartener?**

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1 Spanish: the little ones

2 German: literally, forest kindergarten. An educational/daycare program for three-to-six year olds built around the premise that children will learn and develop better by interacting in and with natural settings.

3 French: the Polish woman. The most beautiful women in Europe. Ah, Francis, my Polish-American mom would love you…

4 French: the little one and the Polish woman

5 German: her knight, her lover, her Prussia

6 Polish: I'm sorry

7 German: Good night, my little state.


	11. Chapter 11 Elektra

**Chapter 11 Elektra**

**Another chapter from Maria's point of view. And the first person to post in a review what the chapter title refers to will get a prize! Keep reading to find out what it is!**

Maria thought Vati was the most wonderful _Vater_ in the world. It was obvious he was the handsomest one; she saw some of her _Waldkindergarten _classmates' fathers, and she wasn't impressed by how meek and plain they looked. _Her _Vati could breeze into a room and everyone felt the energy shift upward, as if a party were about to start. Even though she loved _Waldkindergarten_, she was always happy to see his lean figure waiting for her at the pickup station. He would smile at her and she would dart into his strong arms, crying "Vati!," her heart almost bursting at his funny laugh and silly kisses buzzing her neck or head.

And he was smart too; he could tell wonderful stories and he would emphasize that they were true. He told her that he had been friends with a wise and courageous king who had introduced her favorite vegetable, the potato, to Germany. He told her how knights dressed for battle and how fighting with a broadsword was different from the dueling they saw in old movies on the television. Before there were supermarkets, before there were guns, he told her, people caught their own food, with hounds, nets, or falcons. He told her how he could train hawks or even mighty eagles to fly to and from his arm, even bringing back birds or hares that they had killed for him. He would demonstrate to her by chirping to fluffy yellow Gilbird, who fluttered obediently to and from his hand. She would laugh with delight and he would show her how she could do it also. He knew how and when to find wild mushrooms and which were poisonous and which were safe to eat. When she told her teachers this, they agreed that he was right and they even seemed surprised that Herr Bielschmidt knew this. Maria wasn't, though; of course her Vati was right!

The night he had told her about states and nations and how it was a secret she couldn't tell Sofia, her friends, or anyone who smelled like yucky dead fish, she had felt very grown-up. They knew something others did not, so that made them smarter than the other grownups around them. "Did Muti know this?" she demanded, and Vati said, "Of course! She is a nation like Onkel Ludi." At this Maria would giggle; it was hard to imagine tall Onkel Ludi with his large hands and tiny, doll-like Muti were the same type of being. But Vati insisted it was true, so it had to be.

She loved the games they played in the park, because they seemed more real and important than what they played in _Waldkindergarten_. Vati would show her how to hold a stick like a sword and how to move carefully and surely with it, looking for the best time and place to attack. He would also show her how to ward off sword blows and then strike. He showed her how to curl her hands into fists and how to hit and kick in different ways. "It's important for everyone to know how to fight so they can defend themselves," he explained. "Even girls?" Maria asked. Vati nodded. "_Especially_ girls, _Spatzchen_." His face grew serious. "You'll know why when you get older." Maria nodded earnestly and practiced her punches on Vati's open palms.

When she went on errands with Vati, she noticed how people looked at them. Well, of course, they would, she thought. Vati was so handsome with his startling silver hair, his pale youthful face and the dark eyes that were red-violet instead of brown. And she felt special too, walking along hand-in-hand with him, getting his attention and smiles. She sometimes saw adult women smile at him and try to talk longer to him than he liked; she would scowl at them, sending them the mental message, _Hands off, he's my Vati!_

She didn't worry about Sofia; Vati was always polite to her, but somehow Maria sensed there was a wall he put up between himself and the au pair. It confused her; she loved Sofia and she was smart in her own way; she taught Maria Polish words and helped her learn her numbers and metric system with baking. Sofia told her about how beautiful Poland was, with a forest where wild oxen, boars and wolves roamed, and cities with pretty buildings and farms where they still used horses. But when Maria tried to share this with Vati, he would shrug and say, "Ja, that's nice," and wander off to check his email or start dinner. When she once asked him why he could speak Polish but he didn't want to hear what Sofia told her, he said, "When you get older and study history, you'll understand." She tried to get him to tell her something now, but he shook his head, and repeated, "When you get older, Maria."

Still, Sofia stayed on and Vati didn't forbid her from teaching Maria some Polish words; he said Onkel Ludi thought it was a good idea for her to learn the language since Poland was a neighbor. "Does Poland have a person like us too?" She asked, and Vati rolled his eyes and grumbled, "Ach ja, it certainly does." And that was all he would say.

But most of the time, Vati was happy and playful. His strange laugh, a cross between a cackle and a hiss, no longer scared her. He would show her funny cartoons or pictures he found on his computer and he even would watch her favorite cartoon, _My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic_ with her. He would tell her what the English words meant, and once again, Maria admired how much he knew. German, Polish, English: he said he also knew French, Russian and Latin, a language that only a few people were smart enough to know. He made her promise that she would learn English in school and she nodded energetically. She wanted Vati to be proud of her.

For two weeks out of every month, it was just Maria and Vati, with Sofia at the outer edges of her day. Then Vati would go away for a week to London, a city that was the capital of a nation called the United Kingdom. Sofia stayed in the apartment with her, taking her to and from _Waldkindergarten_ and caring for her. Maria hated that week, not because of Sofia, who was kind and patient, but because Vati was gone and she could feel it. Gilbird preferred his cage, Willi seemed more worried and yappy than usual, and even the apartment seemed bored and sleepy. Maria tried her best to make Vati stay home with her, but he insisted he had to go to London for business meetings.

"Why can't I go with you?" She'd cry.

"Because you'd be bored and missing school!" Vati would imitate her whine; it would have been funny if she weren't already feeling rejected. He'd see her lower lip tremble and squat down to clasp her shoulders with his strong, gentle hands. "Maria, _Schatz,_ it's a meeting of grown-up nations talking about business. There'd be no time for playing or sightseeing in London, just meetings and boring grown-up talk. It would cost too much money to bring Sofia to watch over you, and who would take care of Willi and Gilbird?"

"But Muti's there; she could watch me," Maria muttered. She knew this because Vati told her so and they would skype her together during meeting weeks.

"But Muti's working and going to those meetings also," Vati sighed. "You'd be alone in a hotel room all day long and that wouldn't be fun at all." She tried to protest and he held up a warning finger. "Nein, Maria, you can't go with me to the meetings. Someday, we'll go to London as a family for a fun visit, but not now." He pulled her in and she felt his warm lips on her forehead. She liked to think that his kisses made her stronger and smarter, just like him. "Be a good girl at school and for Sofia, ja? _Ich liebe dich_."

He would be gone and Maria's world would creep to a dull crawl, enlivened only when she saw him and Muti on the computer every night. But things sprang back to life when Sofia took her to the train station to see him and Muti. Ja, Muti would be there for a week, and Maria would have to share Vati with her.

Muti. So small and young, younger-looking than the other _Mütter_ who picked up children at the _Waldkindergarten. _ Muti of the large green eyes, golden hair, tiny hands and scent of flowers and milk. Maria loved Muti, but she now felt something strange in her chest when she saw her, a tight hot feeling that burned. She saw how Vati looked at Muti, his eyes a beautiful strange color she never saw before. She saw how hard he worked to make her a special meal he called _Königsberger Klopse_, because Muti liked it; Maria liked it too, but she would have preferred it if Vati made it when it was just the two of them. She saw how he followed her around the apartment, wrapping his arms around her waist, nuzzling her neck and ears, how he kissed her on the mouth. She heard their murmurs after dinner, when she was playing or watching television in the parlor. She would sometimes walk in and sit down with them, but she would grow bored by their conversation and leave. At night, after Muti put her to bed—Muti _always_ insisted that she put Maria to bed when she was there, even though Maria would have preferred Vati—she would crane her ears towards Vati's bedroom, listening for more of their murmurs. Sometimes she would hear the bed shift and creak, little laughs and sighs, and her throat would grow thick, her heart would race, and her tummy would flutter.

_She _should be the one in Vati's bed, she reasoned. She was a big girl now, she didn't wet the bed anymore, and she was there every day for Vati, not just one week every month. Why did they get to share a bed, while she was alone, and she couldn't even have Willi sleep with her? She would sit at the breakfast table, sulking over her muesli, while Vati would fix coffee and heat rolls that Muti had baked the night before. Then Muti would pad into the little kitchen, smiling and murmuring, "_Ach, Schatz_, there you are!" She'd kiss Vati and they would look warmly at each other. It was ridiculous, Maria thought as she dragged her spoon through her cereal; they had just been in the same bed a little while ago! She would start humming and then Muti would rush over to caress her. Good, but not Vati.

At _Waldkindergarten_, she made up stories to tell her smelly friends. "Not all witches are ugly green old women with big noses," she began as they skipped from stone to stone in the little creek. "Sometimes they look like princesses, but they are still bad!" She told them of a pretty little witch who could turn brave, clever knights into weak, silly fools who lost their ability to tell real love from false. It was up to the _real _princess, who, with the power of her fists, true love, a furry little magic dog, and the cast of _My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, _chased the little witch back to her castle in the mountains and freed the knight from his stupid spell. Then the real princess and the knight lived happily forever in the beautiful forest, sharing their bed with the magic dog and going for rides on Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle. "The end," Maria pronounced to her entranced friends.

Muti and Vati did not know about the story, even as Maria played key scenes in her head during dinner or when they were in the car. Muti would gently comb the tangles out of her hair, let her play _Angry Birds _and _Fruit Ninja_ on her tablet, and show her how to make embroidery stitches, unaware of the role she played in Maria's story. Sometimes Maria would feel bad about her dark thoughts; Muti was so pretty, patient and kind, even more than Sofia. She would bake beautiful rolls and cakes that tasted delicious, play dolls with her, show her how to teach Willi tricks, and praise Maria for her art work and neat printing. Then it was easy to love her and think she was better than other mothers, who always seemed so old and tired. But then Vati would enter the room, Maria would see how his eyes turned dark purple when he saw Muti, and the ugly twist in her heart returned.

When they took Muti to the train station to go back to her home in the Alps, Maria thought she would be happy. After all, it would be her and Vati alone again. But as she felt Muti's delicate hands caress her hair and cheeks, hear her whisper, "_Ich liebe dich_, Maria. _Auf wiedersehen_!", and worst of all, see the sweetness and pride in her round green eyes, she suddenly wanted her to stay. She wanted to wrap her arms around Muti's sloping shoulders and cry that she was sorry she was such a bad girl who thought bad things about her, when she was so kind to her. Instead, she murmured, "_Auf wiedersehen, Muti, ich liebe dich," _and clung extra tightly to her, as her way of asking forgiveness. Then Muti would let go and turn to Vati. He would hold and kiss her, and all Maria's love for her mother would disappear in a cloud of jealousy.

Later, as Vati drove her home, Maria would brood. Muti was gone for another month; Vati would be hers for two more weeks until the stupid meeting in London. Seeing the sad expression on his normally proud face made her feel strange. It was like winning a game and realizing you had hurt your best friend's feelings in doing so. She didn't like it. But then she reminded herself that Vati would not be sharing his bed with Muti that night, that his smiles would be reserved for her, and she felt better.

One night, she made her move. Vati read her a story, tucked her blankets around her, kissed her cheek and said, "_Gute Nacht, Liebling_." He turned off the light, but Maria could still see his face from the hall light through the open door. She grabbed his wrist.

"Vati, sleep in my bed tonight," she said as sweetly as she could. "Bitte?"

For a second, she saw him pause. Then he smiled gently as he shook his head. "Nein, Liebling. It's time for you to sleep."

"But I want you to sleep with _me, _Vati," she murmured, gripping his wrist. "Bitte?" She drew out the word as wistfully as she could.

"Nein, Liebling, I can't." He brought his hand downward and broke her grip.

Maria pouted. "Why, Vati?" She shifted in her bed and glared at him. "Why does Muti get to sleep with you and I can't?"

"Because you are my daughter, Maria, and fathers and daughters don't sleep in the same bed." Vati said. "Just like mothers and sons don't sleep in the same bed. It's a rule, _Liebling."_

Maria thought a little. A strange rule, but a rule. "What about brothers and sisters, Vati?"

Her father paused. "You don't have to worry about that, Maria."

"But can brothers and sisters sleep in the same bed, Vati?" She was hoping for a loophole, a way for them to pretend.

She would never forget how her father looked in the dramatic backlighting from the hall light, how sad his face suddenly appeared as he stared at the space above her bed. "They're not supposed to, _Liebling_, Now _Gute Nacht." _Before she could say anything, he left, closing the door and leaving her in the dark.

**Okay, so here's the prize for the first person to post in a review what the chapter title refers to: your favorite Hetalia character will have a cameo appearance in an upcoming chapter. It might not be huge, it might not be a "game changer" but I will figure out a way to feature your favorite in an upcoming chapter. So good luck!**


	12. Chapter 12 A Centennial

**Chapter 12 A Centennial**

**I redid this chapter to be a little more historically accurate and I want to thank JLBB for the details.**

Gilbert skipped rocks into Lake Müritz as Maria threw sticks for Willi to fetch. The November air felt colder than usual, cold enough to settle in his bones and freeze a frown upon his face. The ninth of November was never a fun date for him, but this was 2018, the centennial of the day he stopped being a kingdom and he became a free state in the Weimar Republic. The beginning of the end, he would bitterly joke.

Normally, he liked to spend the day with Ludwig, having beers and swapping stories, consoling each other for the past, and toasting over the present. But Ludwig was busy with appearances and interviews; he was actually in Paris, making nice with France, Great Britain, the United States and other combatants of the Great War. Austria and Hungary were there also, and even Sadiq from Turkey had been invited to discuss how the end of the Ottoman Empire had been a blessing in disguise. Russia was busy with his own anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution and the establishment and legacy of the Soviet Union. Everyone had forgotten about the Kingdom of Prussia.

Gilbert remembered the day he had heard the news. The war on the eastern front with Russia had ended in March, and he was recuperating from injuries in Berlin. Morphine had become his best friend, Danzig his inscrutable nurse, and the Kaiser a faraway dream in Belgium. Danzig read Ludwig's letters from the Western Front and reports of the Navy's mutinies to him, as well as the newspapers' accounts of changes in government; Gilbert had listened in moments of clarity, but the pain in his legs and head overpowered him. He would ask for his morphine shot and slip away into a world where Imperial balls broke into artillery fire and broken shells, and corseted women became screaming, shattered horses. He cursed Hannover, Holstein and Schleswig for their roles in the sailors' revolts and then asked for more morphine, where he could see Old Fritz shaking his head wistfully as he wept and begged for forgiveness. He would curse or weep more as Ludwig's letters painted images of filthy, starving troops turned to ragged ghosts tangled in barbed wire.

And then Danzig one day shaved him (he was convinced she was going to slash his throat with the razor and puzzled that she hadn't), put his war tunic with all his medals on him, and managed to get him into a chair. "What's all this?" he growled, shifting uncomfortably. His previous morphine shot was wearing off, and he wanted another to help him return to his dream of Sanssouci.

"You have visitors," she replied and led in two mortals. "Prinz Max von Baden and Herr Friedrich Ebert."1 She then retreated from the room, taking his little silver morphine case with her. He remembered how longingly he had gazed at the glistening box, ready to cry out for it.

Gilbert studied the two mortals, displeased with their lack of deference. "_Wat?" _He finally snapped at them.

Von Baden stepped forward and stated, "_Preußen, _the Kaiser has abdicated as of this morning."

Gilbert tilted his head. "So who's going to rule me now?"

The Prince looked uncomfortable. "That's what we are working on right now. There is talk of one of the Kaiser's grandsons…"

"But they're young! There'd have to be a regency!" Gilbert interrupted. He focused on the Prince. "Would that be you?"

Von Baden shook his head. "I am stepping down. Herr Ebert, head of the Social Democratic Party, will be the new Chancellor." He gestured for the burly mortal with the brush cut and mustache to come forward and bow.

"_Preußen_, I promise the German Empire, you and the other entities, that we will get through this difficult time as smoothly and wisely as possible. I have assured Prinz von Baden that we will work within the old constitution—"

Gilbert stared at him. "Who _are _you?" He sneered. "A _saddle-maker_?"2 The powerfully built mortal held his ground. Gilbert turned to the Prince. "So who's going to rule me?"

"That needs to be finalized," the Prince said. Gilbert fidgeted and sneezed. The damaged nerves in his leg and neck were tingling with pain; why was it taking him so long to heal? "What do you mean, _finalized_?" He demanded. "And does the Empire know about this?"

"A wire about the abdication has been sent," Ebert assured him. Gilbert's fidgeting and grimaces at pain seemed to unnerve the mortals. "I see that we are tiring you, _Preußen, _and I am about to leave for the Reichstag now for lunch. I will return later this evening, after you have rested, and inform of further developments." The mortals bowed and turned to leave the room.

"You, the Chancellor! _You _ address me as _mein Herr Preußen_; only royalty calls me _Preußen!"_Gilbert yelled after them, before he collapsed back into a coughing fit.

He spent the rest of the day agitated and ill at ease. It wasn't just the physical pain that bothered him; he felt as if something very wrong was happening, something that disordered his mind more than the morphine. Nothing tasted good, nothing felt comfortable. He made Danzig fetch books, records for the new Victrola, cards, but nothing drove away the nagging thoughts and queasiness. He insisted that she lay down next to him and undo her hair so he could pet her, but then he shoved her off the bed, snarling at her for being such a lazy _Schlampfe_ when she could be finding out what was happening in the streets of Berlin instead. He could hear the rumbling of traffic and crowds, mortals milling about like nervous cattle.

It was dark when Chancellor Ebert returned. Danzig let him in, and Gilbert scrutinized the mortal. He has the worst timing, he thought, always coming when his body started whimpering for more morphine.

"So where's the little prince?" Gilbert smiled at the thought of a young mortal to win over and train.

"With his family," Ebert replied. Gilbert's smile disappeared at the mortal's solemn face. "Some startling events happened today and the German Empire has been declared a Republic."

Gilbert stared at him as the words sunk in. No wonder he had been so uncomfortable all day. He narrowed his eyes. "You said everything would be done as smoothly and wisely as possible, keeping to the constitution." His voice was acid. He clenched his fist and brought it down on his good thigh. "What does this do to the Empire? Does he know what he is now?" He raised his voice. "Who's going to rule us? Who's going to rule me? Bring me my prince!"

"A republic was declared without my knowledge or permission, but it has been done and the army has agreed to cooperate with us to prevent a revolution."3 Ebert replied. Gilbert noted with satisfaction that the mortal's hands were shaking. "We have already wired him with the news, and directions as to negotiating an armistice have also been sent."

"Then _wat zum Teufel _am I then?" Gilbert dimly recalled Danzig reading about Bavaria becoming a socialist state—he would be damned if he did that.

"You will be a state of the republic." Ebert replied. Gilbert felt dizzy and suddenly very small. He wanted his morphine shot, Danzig to hold him, a telegram or telephone call from Ludwig, a hand shaking him out of this nightmare. "There will be elections, more open ones than the old Prussian three-level system," Ebert continued. "But right now, _Preußen, _we are trying to restore order, build a coalition, negotiate a peace—"

"I told you, you _verdammt_ son of a tailor, that you will address me as _mein Herr Preußen_!" Gilbert snarled. Danzig ran to his side, morphine case at the ready. "Mein Gott, are you going to leave me to the rabble?" He trembled as he batted her away. "I _am_ the _Königreich Preußen_, I did _not_ agree to this, I—"

"I did not come here to be yelled at by a spoiled boy." Ebert growled. His deep voice reverberated from his broad chest. "You are a state of the German Republic, and I have more urgent matters at hand than witnessing your tantrum." He nodded curtly at Danzig and a fuming Gilbert and left.

"How _dare _you turn your back on me!"Gilbert called and then he started to cough. The pain raced up his leg and down his neck, as if agreeing to rendez-vous in his chest. "C_ome back! _I am _Prussia_, and I demand to know what's going on!" He collapsed into a coughing fit that seemed to set every nerve of his chest and injured leg on fire. Danzig was at his side, silver needle in hand, whispering nurse's nonsense as she injected him and sent him off to rest in a place where his sister Maria winked at him as he chased her through the old baroque _Lustgarten_, laughing when he caught her long silver hair.

"Vati?" Someone tapped him on the shoulder. He startled, turned and saw another Maria staring fearfully at him, twisting a strand of amber-colored hair in her mouth. "Who are you talking to, Vati?"

Gilbert paused. "I was talking out loud?" Maria nodded slowly. "What was I saying?"

"You were telling someone to come back. I heard you and we came back, Willi and me. But you kept saying, 'Come back.'" Tears shimmered in her beautiful amethyst eyes. "Are you sick, Vati?" Her voice wavered.

"Nein, Liebling." Gilbert turned to her, crouched down, and held out his arms. The girl hugged him, her little hands patting his shoulders. "Not sick, just sad."

"Why, Vati? Why are you sad?" She sniffed. "Muti will be back in a few weeks."

"Not that, Maria." Gilbert pulled away to look at her. "I was just remembering something very sad that happened to me today, a long time ago."

"What was it?" Maria knuckled her eyes and he saw with relief that she had no more tears in them.

"It's complicated, _Spatzchen_." When he saw her huff, he changed his mind and decided to tell her something. "Once I wasn't just a state who works for Onkel Ludwig. I was a kingdom with my own lands, laws and family of kings. A hundred years ago today, I lost my king and couldn't call myself a kingdom anymore."

Maria studied him. Then a hopeful smile crept onto her face. "But you are still here, Vati. And you have me and Muti." Willi the Pomeranian nudged his wedge-shaped head into their little group and she giggled. "And Willi says you have him too!"

Gilbert thought a little and smiled. She was right; the last Kaiser had gone straight from army headquarters in Spa, Belgium to exile in the Netherlands without a word to him. So much for the royal family he had served for hundreds of years. He nodded. "You're right, Maria." He scooped her up, her laughter ringing like armistice bells. "Who needs a king when I have you and Muti!"

He would never forget the look on her face, more wise and tender than her five years as she gazed at him and sang, "I want you to be happy, Vati, always happy."

* * *

1 Erich von Baden was an aristocrat with liberal leanings. He had been appointed as the Chancellor of Germany by Wilhelm II in the final weeks of World War One. He was willing to work with the Social Democratic Party in order to prevent a social revolution and he urged Wilhelm II to abdicate. Ebert was the leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany and he would become the Chancellor after von Baden and then the first president of the Weimar Republic.

2 Ebert was the son of a tailor and he had apprenticed and worked as a saddle-maker before becoming involved more fully in the Social Democrat Party.

3 Karl Liebknecht, was about to declare Germany as a socialist republic, which members of the SPD party did not want. Philip Schneiderman, the deputy chairman of the SPD Party tried to beat him to the punch by declaring a republic without Ebert's official authorization. So you have two republics declared in one day; Ludwig must have had some crazy headaches on November 9.


	13. Chapter 13 Swiss Chocolate

**Chapter 13 Swiss Chocolate**

**Here's some Switzerland for ElleVipsilon, the winner of the Elektra challenge.**

Lili rested her head on Gilbert's chest and sighed contentedly. She traced his arm with her finger; he was not in fighting trim, but she could still feel his firm, lithe muscles under the skin. She felt his fingers play with her hair as their breathing synchronized. It was early on an August morning in Maldun, Liechtenstein; soon she would hear Willi and Leo, her new Bernese Mountain Dog puppy, snuffling and whimpering to go out. Maria would probably roll out of bed, looking for breakfast and amusement on the television. But for now, Lili would enjoy a few more minutes alone with Gilbert.

In July, he had knelt before her as he had for the past ten years, and he asked if he had served her as faithfully and tenderly as she could desire. Lili had nodded and murmured, "Of course, _mein Ritter_." Then he had asked if she would like to continue with him, and she again said she would, that she loved him even more with each passing year. He had smiled, that rare shy smile no one else had even seen on the normally smirking Prussia, and they had kissed. _Ten years, _ she marveled, ten years and he had not grown indifferent or annoying, as Vash had hinted he would. If anything, he had become more lovable and loving with time. Last summer, as Bruno had grown weaker and in constant pain, Gilbert had listened patiently to her as she had debated further treatment or ending his suffering. He had dropped Maria off to stay with Thuringia and had come to Vaduz to be with her when she had taken the dying Greater Swiss Mountain Dog to his final appointment with the vet. He had helped her bury Bruno in her garden, and held her as she wept.

And he had brought Maria into her life. Maria, now approximately eight years old and as tall as Lili's shoulder, who called her "Muti" and skyped her to talk about _Grundschule_ and weekend visits to classmates' houses. Lili had a collection of her drawings (done with a tablet and art software) framed throughout her rooms. She knew Maria was not her daughter, not in the way of mortals, who could see resemblances through genetics or constant presence, but she felt the same concern, love, and yes, exasperation, that any mother would feel.

Maria was also like the playmate she had never had as a young entity growing up alone in the castle in Liechtenstein. They played dolls and vidoegames (_Animal Crossing_ was a favorite and another way to communicate with each other when they were apart), hiked and swam during the summer. In winter, Lili taught Maria how to skate and ski, and teased her into joining forces against Gilbert in snowball fights. A couple of days ago, she and Vash and his girlfriend, the American state Colorado, had taken her to a shooting range for her first lesson in firing handguns. Even Vash had been impressed by her earnest attention to safety instructions and her concentration as she aimed and squeezed off shots.

"What are you thinking of, _meine Dame_?" Gilbert whispered. Lili looked up and kissed him.

"I am thinking of how blessed I am, _mein liebster Geliebter," _she murmured.1 He grunted approvingly and squeezed his arms around her. And as surely as Swiss clocks, the dogs clambered off their cushions, sneezing and shaking their hair into place, staring earnestly at their owners.

Lili put on some clothes and led Leo and Willi downstairs and let them out into the garden. Sure enough, Maria was perched on the sofa in the television room, bare feet wiggling as she ate bread and jam. Lili joined her and kissed her on the head.

"I was going to make waffles for breakfast, _Spatzchen_. Are you still hungry?" she said. Maria nodded, engrossed in the dubbed American cartoon. Lili nudged her playfully. "Well, come help me then!" Maria joined her, beating egg whites with an old-fashioned beater while Lili measured and mixed the dry ingredients. They mixed the whites with the rest of the batter and poured it onto the hot waffle iron.

"Look at it puff up!" Maria said proudly. Lili smiled at her and said, "We'll make a few and put them in the oven to warm, and then wake up the others, ja?" Maria nodded.

"So do you like my country, Maria?" Lili asked. This was the first time Gilbert had taken her out of Germany; he had figured she was strong enough to spend a week away from her land. Maria nodded. "What is your favorite part?" Lili continued.

"The mountains," Maria replied, prodding at the waffle. "I like how big they are."

"And how about Lake Maldun, _mein Wasser Sprite_?"2Lili remembered how much Maria enjoyed sailing with Vash, and how quickly she learned to handle the lines.

"It's nice." Maria nodded and stuck a strand of hair in her mouth. Lili gently pulled it out."Just 'nice'?" she teased.

"It's not the ocean," Maria admitted. She turned to her mother, her round amethyst eyes adult and thoughtful. "The lake is like Willi and Leo, but the ocean is like a wolf. _My _wolf, but still a wild one."

"Hmmm." Lili was impressed with her daughter's analogy. "But lakes can still get rough and dangerous, like the ocean, _Liebling._ And Tante Melinda told us her country has large rivers like the Mississippi that can flood and cause trouble."

Maria pouted out her lower lip; she wasn't going to give up her point. "It's not the same," she said. "It's, it's bigger, grander, wilder—"

"It's alive, even more than a river." The two females turned and saw Gilbert leaning against the kitchen doorway. He was smiling at Maria, but his eyes were serious.

Maria flashed a triumphant grin at Lil and then hopped off the stool to hug Gilbert. "Exactly, Vati! How did you know?"

He shrugged and strolled over to kiss Lili. "I knew someone once who loved the ocean as much as you did, _Spatzchen._" He picked at the finished waffle. "So where's Vash and Melinda? Out on a hike? They're usually up by now."

"I'll see if they're in their room," Lili said. She tapped Maria on the nose. "You're in charge of the waffle batter, _Schatz._ Don't let Vati eat all the waffles!"

She went upstairs to the guest room where Vash and Melinda were staying. Normally, they were up and out before anyone else; they both liked morning runs or hikes. But she still knocked at the closed door anyway.

She heard tumbling, creaking mattress springs and stifled exclamations and laughter. "Bruder, are you and Melinda all right?"

"Ja, we're fine! Just give us a minute!" Vash's voice sounded muffled. Lili wondered what was going on. "You can come in now," he said.

Lili came in and first saw the splotches of red on the floor; at first she wondered if someone had cut themselves on broken glass or worse. Then she saw the red spots were rose petals. She looked up at the bed and saw foil wrappers and some kind of puddle on the quilt. _Was zum Teufel_, she thought. She then looked up and saw Colorado clutching the sheets to her chest with one hand and holding a champagne flute in another. Vash was hastily dabbing at the wet spot with a pair of red silk boxers, a piece of chocolate stuck in his mouth.

Lili bit her lip, trying hard to keep the laughter in. Her brother looked up at her, his deep blush making his eyes extremely green. Melinda shrugged and took a sip of champagne. "S'up?" She said.

"We're having waffles for breakfast, if you'd like to join us," Lili finally managed to say. "But yesterday was so busy, I'd understand if you two just want to sleep in." She winked at her brother.

"Ja, ja," Vash mumbled as he took the chocolate bar out of his mouth. His shoulders relaxed as he edged back to sit next to Colorado. "Sailing on such a windy day took a lot out of us. And then there was the hike…"

"You two sleep in," Lili said. "We can save a few waffles and you can reheat them later in the oven if you like." Vash nodded, and Lili retreated. "Sleep well, you two," she whispered. Her last glimpse of them was Colorado putting the chocolate between her teeth and leaning in to kiss her blushing brother.

After breakfast, Lili, Gilbert and Maria went out to the lake with the dogs. They swam, picnicked, play cards, and dozed. Leo and Willi wrestled with each other. "Enjoy yourself while you can," Lili laughed at the bold Pomeranian. "Leo will soon become too big for you to push around!" The Bernese Mountain Dog puppy shambled over to get his ears rubbed.

"Onkel Vash! Tante Melinda!" Maria called. Lili turned and saw her brother and his girlfriend walking towards them. She noted the clasped hands swinging between the two entities and smiled.

"What are you grinning about?" Vash asked as they came closer.

"I'm just glad you two joined us," Lili replied. She thought about how she had caught them earlier that morning and noted Vash blushing. Maria ran up to him and Colorado and tugged at his free hand. "Come swimming, Onkel!" Vash scowled for a second, and then to Lili's surprise, smiled and shrugged. "Sure!" He and Melinda followed the little girl to the water.

After awhile, Gilbert came out of the water, dried himself off, and sat down next to Lili. "I'm shriveling up like a _verdammt_ prune and that little mermaid scolds me that it's only been a couple of hours!" The two laughed as they watched Maria coax Vash and Melinda into a game of "Red Light, Green Light" in the water.

"Who was it who said that thing about the ocean?" Lili asked. She wondered if it had been Canada, who did have two coasts.

Gilbert shrugged and looked out to the lake. "Danzig." His hand inched over to hers and squeezed it. "It was a long time ago, _Liebling."_

"And yet you remembered it." Lili wondered why he could recall that one phrase from an entity he claimed he was done with.

"It was eerie, hearing Maria saying those words." Gilbert looked at her and his eyes were haunted. "I just tell myself that maybe it's something all personifications near the ocean would say, but then she speaks Polish like a native, she'll move or do something in a way that reminds me of that crazy Feliks or his sister, and all Vash's little jokes aren't so funny anymore."

"Gilbert, we found her on a _German _ beach. Ludwig, Monika, all the other German states adore her. Ludwig has said nothing to indicate he won't allow her to represent Mecklenburg-Vorpommern when she's ready. So what if she speaks Polish well or loves the sea? She's also learning English at school. If she learns to speak that well, does that mean she is secretly one of Arthur's entities?" Lili nestled against him. "These things shouldn't matter, _Schatz_. So what if she is German, Slavic or Baltic? She is _ours_, we raised her, we love her and she loves us. She _adores _you and you are such a good father to her." She gazed earnestly at him; she was having a hard time reading his garnet eyes. "What if she were actually one of Poland's? Would that really change how you feel about her?" Her throat tightened.

They both looked out to the lake, where Maria ran out of the water, calling to the dogs and laughing. Lili marveled at how much she had grown. She didn't care where she came from; she knew she loved her. She turned and studied Gilbert as he watched their daughter.

"Maybe. Maybe this is my chance to set things right," he whispered. He smiled wistfully at her and she felt her anxiety fade.

* * *

1 German: my dearest beloved

2 German: my water sprite


	14. Chapter 14 Take Your Child to Work Day!

**Chapter 14 Take your Daughter to Work Day!**

**In the United States and Canada, an unofficial holiday/movement called Take Your Daughter to Work Day was started several years ago by feminists who wanted parents to encourage their daughters to think about future careers by taking them to work. This morphed into Take Your Child to Work Day, where people are encouraged to take daughters or sons to their jobs, especially if those jobs are nontraditional for certain genders. Vash's American girlfriend, the state of Colorado, probably mentioned this, and Gilbert thought it was an awesome idea. Read on to see if it really was or not.**

"Remember what I told you," Gilbert said to Maria as they prepared to get off the train in Berlin. "It's going to seem like a big family gathering, but it's not a party. It's business. If you get bored, you've got your tablet and headphones, and you can go out to the hallway if you feel restless. But I want you to pay attention to some of what's going on because this is what you'll be doing in a few years." The train lurched to a halt and the two got off and began walking through the Charlottenburg neighborhood.

Maria nodded. Even though they came to Berlin often to visit Onkel Ludwig, she still always felt a little overwhelmed by the tall buildings and masses of people and cars. She was glad Vati was so familiar with the city; all she needed to do was hold his hand and follow him. Maybe she would have felt babyish doing that at home—she _was _ten and in her last year of _Grundschule_ after all—but she didn't want to get separated from him here among the crowds and traffics of Berlin. Besides, she had to admit she still liked holding his hand; it made her feel confident and special to know she was with him.

"We'll drop off the suitcase at Onkel Ludi's, but he probably won't be at home. And then we'll have a lunch meeting with the other Eastern German states. You remember who are the Eastern ones, ja?"

"Ja, Vati!" Maria sighed, blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face. "Onkel Gisil, Onkel Günther, and Tante Magda." He had drilled her about this for days before the meeting.

"Except remember this isn't a family gathering, it's business! So you'll address them as Herr Saxony, Herr Saxony-Anhalt, und Frau Thuringia. And don't keep calling me Vati; it's Herr Brandenburg."

"And what will they call me?" Maria didn't think it would be fair for her to pretend they were strangers while they patted her on the head and called her _Spatzchen_ or Mariele or Mitzi.

"_Maris Stella_, _Königin der Ostsee, Großherzogin von Mecklenburg-Vorpommern."_1 He grinned at her and she knew he was playing. "They'll call you Frau Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, of course. But this is mostly watching and learning, so don't expect much beyond greetings."

They arrived at Ludwig's house. Maria looked longingly at her uncle's crated dogs, but her father reminded her that they were meeting the other Eastern German states for lunch in Prenzlauer Berg. All this back-and-forth, she thought as they took another bus, and not enough time to settle in with her headphones and movies. Before she knew it, Vati was telling her they were at their stop and they were getting out to eat at Anna Blume's Cafe. Maria looked longingly at the pastries and cakes under the glass counter. Maybe she could enjoy one while the adults talked business, she thought.

"Look, there they are!" She recognized Tante Magda's voice as they headed to the back of the restaurant. Maria was surprised at how formally everyone was dressed, the men in coats and ties, Thuringia in a tailored coatdress. She was glad now that Vati had insisted she couldn't wear jeans or leggings; she would have felt childish and out of place.

"Brandenburg." Onkel Gisil—no, make that Herr Saxony—nodded brusquely. He turned to Maria. He reminded her of an older, heavier Onkel Ludi, one whose spectacles and pulled back ponytail seemed to say he was a scientist and an artist. "Fraulein Mecklenburg-Vorpommern?" A small smile relaxed his gaze.

"_Bitte_, Saxony, she's not some little old maiden auntie. Call her Frau," Vati snorted. Maria noted how her father refused to meet Saxony's gaze as he pulled out his tablet from a briefcase.

"Frau Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, then." Saxony studied her. "How are your studies going, Frau?"

"Very good, Herr Saxony." Maria could feel her face turning red. "I have the highest marks in German and maths in my class. And we had a biology unit and I did a report on fish populations of the Baltic Sea!"

"A budding marine biologist, ja?" Saxony chuckled and Maria blushed further. She had told her mortal friends that she wanted to study that or else go into forestry and study wolves.

"That's good knowledge to have for your region," Onkel Günther—nein, Herr Saxony-Anhalt—said. Maria felt a little more at ease with her younger, handsome uncle who dressed fashionably. He showed her how to make simple videogames and animations. "Maybe you should see what kind of programs your state's universities have in that field and—"

"Frau Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's educational plans are not on the agenda I sent all of you," Vati interrupted. He had put on his reading glasses, and clinked his water glass with his knife. "Now let's get our food orders taken care of, and then we can review and approve our last meeting's minutes while we wait." Maria was surprised at the change in her father. He had gone from teasing, playful Vati to a serious-looking young man who scanned the other entities with the cool gaze of someone used to commanding others.

"Jawohl, mein Herr Brandenburg." Even Maria could sense the sarcasm in Saxony's voice. She edged her seat closer to Tante Magda—nein, make that Frau Thuringia—and studied her menu.

Within ten minutes she was bored. All the adults did were make motions, second them, discuss them, and vote on them. They batted words like "Soli tax," "equitable distribution," "electoral reforms" and "top ups" about like wads of paper in a game whose rules she didn't understand. She did understand that the game had opponents: Vati and her uncle Saxony. Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt chimed in, mostly asking questions. After finishing her ham-and-cheese _crêpes, _Maria wondered if it would be rude of her to take out her tablet and start drawing. All the adults had their tablets out, supposedly skimming over the documents Vati had sent them. She looked over at Thuringia's tablet and saw her earnestly following along a chart that looked like a mountain. Then she looked over at Saxony-Anhalt's and saw he was playing solitaire. Suddenly she felt a lot better about doodling on hers.

Finally, Vati looked at his watch (silly Vati, he could use his tablet or phone like everyone else to tell time) and announced that they needed to finish up. "So, we are agreed on a strategy about countering the Western states on the redistribution plan of the Soli tax?" He asked. The other adults made motions and voted. The waiter came with the bill, each state paid his or her share, and it was time to get out and take another bus to the Alexanderplatz and the meeting of all the states.

Maria studied her father. He seemed tired and she didn't blame him. He had run the meeting, getting constant objections and challenges from Saxony. It saddened her that Onkel Gisil and Vati didn't seem to like each other very much; whenever they met, Onkel Gisil always asked about her artwork and he admired how well she drew. He told her she had real talent in drawing animals and people. "You're as good as Poland and almost as good as Northern Italy," he had said. She had been flattered, but when she had told Vati the compliment, she had noticed how he had bitten his lip before he had said anything. "You are a good artist, Maria, with your own talent and style," Vati had finally said. "You shouldn't be compared to anyone but yourself." It sounded like a compliment, she admitted, but she felt hurt, as if being compared to Poland or Northern Italy was a shameful thing.

"We're here!" Vati's crisp voice shook her out of her memory. Maria looked at the modern building that seemed built of nothing but glass panes and metal lines. Like a game of tic-tac-toe, she thought, before it starts. She followed him in and recognized some of the other German states, talking with each other or reviewing material on their tablets. When she saw Onkel Ludi, she couldn't help herself.

"Onkel Ludi!" She cried and ran towards him. Usually, he would smile and cry "_Meine Lieblingsnichte"_ as he bent down to grab her in a bear hug.2 But today, she stopped when she saw how seriously he stared at her, as if she had thrown a snowball at his back. "I mean, Herr Deutschland," she mumbled, wishing the sleek marble floor would slide open and swallow her up.

"Frau Mecklenburg-Vorpommern." Her uncle held out his hand and she shook it. "It's a pleasure to see someone actually excited about our meetings for once." When he smiled, she felt better. It was like a joke between equals and she no longer felt as if she had committed a terrible mistake.

Vati caught up with the two of them. "I hope Frau here hasn't been bending your ear about her own plans for revamping the Solidarity tax."

"Nein, Brandenburg, she has not given any of your secret attacks away." Maria noted the mischief dancing in Onkel Ludi's eyes. "Tamp down on that enthusiasm and she might be able to play as deep a game as you!"

Maria felt the conversation soar over her head; worse, she felt as if she were the ball being volleyed back and forth between the two males in a game that amused them but confused her. She didn't like it. "I'll sit outside and read, if you don't mind," she sniffed.

"Nein, _Spatz_—Frau, stay until the first break. You'll learn how we conduct meetings and what are some of the current issues that face our mortals." Germany wasn't laughing at her anymore; his pale blue eyes were sincere. "You'll also learn how your father has taken care of your state over the past few years, to get it ready for when you can officially represent it."

Maria studied both of them. They looked so different, and yet the same expression of pride shone on both their faces. She wanted to feel as happy as they apparently did, but she felt uncomfortable. "When will that happen?" She asked.

"Eighteen." "Twenty-two." Vati and Onkel Ludi spoke at the same time and then glared at each other. "That's something we'll need to discuss," Onkel Ludi growled, and Vati huffed and nodded.

Normally, Maria would have found it funny, but she calculated the differences. She had eight or twelve years of freedom left, before she would also attend these meetings, making and seconding motions, and arguing about boring things as if her life depended upon it. No marine biology, no ground-breaking study of wolves, no graphic novels written and illustrated by herself, no sailing around the world, no winning the gold in swimming or fencing in the Olympics. Just meetings and reports and mind-numbing politics with the same family members forever. Her favorite uncle and her beloved father were doting guards coaxing her into a glass-and-steel jail. She suddenly wanted to run away, far to her forests and beaches, where no one would ever find her.

**So what do you think of Maria as she's getting older and more aware of her future? What do you think is coming down the road?**

* * *

1 Latin: Star of the Sea. German: Queen of the Baltic, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

2 German: My favorite niece


	15. Chapter 15 An Education

**Chapter 15 An Education**

**Warning for lemony fluff at the end.**

"How is Maria's orientation year going?" Ludwig asked Gilbert.1 He had asked his brother and Lili to meet with him for dinner during one of the World Meetings. This year, it was taking place in Stockholm. Even though it was the early afternoon, it was also late winter and the sky was dark as they sipped coffee and ate open-faced tea sandwiches at a little café.

"She's doing awesomely, which is to be expected." Gilbert smiled and nudged Lili as he sipped his coffee. "She gets strong reports in English, German, and history with very little effort, and she gets good reports in maths and sciences when she works hard."

"So, where do you think she'll go after her orientation years are over?"

Gilbert shrugged. "She can go to Gesamtschule, graduate, and apprentice with me."

Lili gasped and stared at him. "Nein!" she cried. "She should go to Gymnasium! We discussed this!" She thought they had come to an agreement.

"Ja, Lili, but the more I think about it, the more I think the Gesamtschule would be better," Gilbert admitted. "This way she gets to hang out with a variety of mortals. Not all her mortals are going to be future doctors and engineers; they'll be skilled tradespeople, small business owners, tourism and hospitality workers. She needs to know how to interact with them. She's not going to get that at a Gymnasium. And besides, she's smart, but not brilliant. At a Gymnasium, she'd do nothing but study all day to get decent grades. It would be discouraging."

"All that studying would keep her out of trouble with cute mortal boys," Lili growled. She was hurt at his change in plans, and knew how to unnerve him.

"The first one who tries to kiss her would be called 'fish corpse' and punched in the lips. And that's just what _I'll _do to him!" Gilbert chuckled, but he saw Lili was still unhappy. "C'mon, Lili, a Gestamtschule is a comprehensive school. She can still take Gymnasium-level classes and the Abitur, if that's what you want2. _She _might not even want to go to all that effort if she's not going to go to university. She can get her Mittlere Reiffe and start apprenticing with me."

"I want her to get a good education," Lili muttered.

"Mein Gott, she will! She learns more history and economics between the two of us than she would from mortals."

"I have a question." Ludwig looked at the pair. "Why do you assume Maria will apprentice as an entity under _you?"_

Gilbert looked flustered. "Why not? I've only been a personification in some form of other for at least eight hundred years now. I've been a kingdom, a state, a Communist 'republic' and now a state and region. If I recall," he narrowed his eyes at Ludwig, "I've even raised an empire who became a republic a couple of times."

"I want Maria to go to Gymnasium and to take the Abitur. Even if she doesn't go to university, she should have it available to her." Ludwig took a bite of his shrimp sandwich and chewed slowly, as if the deal were done.

"That's what I want for her also," Lili said firmly. She was happy when Ludwig winked at her and nodded.

"Fine, Gymnasium and Abitur it is," Gilbert sulked. "And she can go study marine biology or ecology or the tourism industry or the genetics of coat colors in Pomeranians if she wishes. But that can happen as a sideline, after she completes her apprenticeship with me."

"I think she should do her apprenticeship with another state." Ludwig sat back.

Gilbert stared at his younger brother, stunned. "Why?" He whispered. "Didn't I just tell you why I'd be a good choice? Don't I have the verdammt experience?" His voice rose. Lili tried to soothe him by stroking his arm but he shook her off, irritated. "Didn't I teach and train _you?"_

"Ja, you taught me." Ludwig's voice was almost as bitter as the dregs of coffee in Gilbert's cup. Gilbert felt as if a cold-eyed stranger were sitting across the table from him.

"So, look at you now. I did a fine job, ja?" Gilbert's mouth was dry and his heart began to gallop.

"That is a topic for another conversation." Ludwig was in Herr Deutschland mode, and his gaze and tone made it clear he would not be interrupted. "There are a few good reasons for Maria to apprentice with another entity. First, you're her father, her Vati. You're too close emotionally to her. You'll either be too lax because you think she is perfect or too harsh because you'll expect her to be perfect and she won't be able to meet your standards. Second, if she learns from someone else, no one can accuse you of ulterior motives, of teaching her to be your little yes-woman. Third, you could create goodwill by giving someone else the honor and trust of training her. And we all know you can use that."

Gilbert was still stuck on Ludwig's coldness towards him. Didn't he do a good job? Didn't he take the weak, aimless, frustrated German Confederation and turn him into a strong, unified, focused Empire? Ja, maybe he hadn't been as helpful as he could have been during the Weimar Republic, but he had laid the groundwork for Ludwig to rise from that mess. Granted, it was as a monster, but a beautiful, efficient, powerful monster, nonetheless. And even after his defeat, and the Allies had worked him over, he had come back even more successfully, all because of the good habits and traits he had instilled in Ludwig. The diligence, conscientiousness, ambition: they were what he had given Ludwig as much as they had been there within him. "Why are you being like this?"

Ludwig shrugged, a confident being in control of a situation. "Because I am thinking about what's best for Maria, my youngest state. Gymnasium, Abitur, apprenticeship with Saxony."

Gilbert inhaled sharply. "Gisil? He hates my verdammt guts! You talk about me turning her into a _yes-woman?_ He'll poison her against me!" Lili patted his shoulder and tried to soothe him as the Swedish mortals began to stare at the silver-haired man raising his voice. "Mein Gott, why not Monika? Or Holstein or Schleswig? Saxony-Anhalt?!"

"Lower your voice," Ludwig growled. "She should apprentice with an Eastern German state, since she would share the region's peculiar history and challenges." Gilbert curled his lip at the use of the word 'peculiar' but he kept silent. "Saxony is a great success story and he's very good at educating younger entities; he trained Günther, ja? He takes the job seriously, he's firm, fair, and she'll learn a lot from him. Really, he'd be pleased to train her and it could definitely go a long way towards you two getting over your dislike of each other."

"You promise me that he won't take out any of his dislike or resentment of me on her," Gilbert muttered. "If I hear that he is bullying her or mistreating her, I'll—"

"That won't happen. It won't serve anyone if he does that, least of all me," Ludwig said. He gestured for the mortal to bring the check. "So, I think we've agreed on a plan for the future of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, ja?" Lili nodded and Gilbert grunted after she nudged him.

As they got into their coats, Gilbert turned to Lili. "Lili, I need to talk to Ludwig a little more in private. We'll walk you back to the hotel, but then I'm going out with him for a drink. Is that all right, _meine Dame_?"

Lili noted the anxious red light in Gilbert's eyes. She could feel his body's energy whirring on the edge of control. She really wanted to hold him and soothe him, but she sensed he needed to clear some things with his brother before he could really relax. "Ja," she said. "I'll go visit with Austria and Hungary for a little bit and you can call me about dinner plans."

Gilbert and Ludwig saw Lili off to the hotel and then Gilbert told his brother he needed to talk to him. The two walked over to a nearby bar and ordered beers. They sipped in silence, trying to look engrossed in a hockey game on the widescreen television. Finally, Gilbert spoke.

"Was I _really_ that bad to you?" He turned to look at his brother, still studying the hockey game. I mean, _Mein Gott,_ everyone whipped their children back then. England, France, Spain, the United States—"

"—I get that." Ludwig's pale blue eyes shone in the reflective light from the television. "That's not the problem."

"Then why did you become colder than Sweden himself when we started talking about Maria's education?"

Ludwig finally turned to look at him. "Because I want her to have that Abitur, Gil. I want her to be able to go to university if she chooses to do so." His eyes were shimmering.

Gilbert shook his head. "But she doesn't _need_ to, Ludi. She's going to represent a state, she needs to…" He stopped, watching his brother's expression move from annoyance to resignation as he turned away. "This isn't about what you want for Maria," he said slowly. "This is about you."

"I wanted to go to university," Ludwig muttered into his beer. "Friedrich III went and he told me it changed his life.3 Gisil told me what his mortals were studying in his universities and it sounded amazing. When Feliks stayed with us in Berlin, he told me about the Polish and German students studying together, singing songs and going on hikes, planning the future in the Ratskellars." Gilbert noted with pity and horror the tears rolling down Ludwig's cheeks. "I wanted that."

"Come on," he teased, "We drank, sang and chased girls in the army also, ja?" He reached over to bop Ludwig's arm, but his brother drew away from him. The longing in his eyes turned to resentment.

"I wanted to _learn_," he growled. "All these great thinkers in the different states' universities, all these amazing ideas in the 1830s and 1840s, and I wanted to read and listen and debate and understand. And you kept me from them, saying that I wasn't going to be a minister, lawyer or doctor, so why should I bother?"

"We had libraries in the palaces in Berlin and Potsdam," Gilbert snapped. "No one was keeping you from reading the latest books there."

Ludwig shook his head. "I wanted to discuss what I read with others, to ask questions and answer them. I wanted to discuss _ideas_, Gilbert, and you only cared about plans and goals. _Your _plans, _your _goals."

Gilbert slammed his beer mug down. Again, even the mostly drunk Swedish male clientele at the bar looked appalled. "I made you great because of those verdammt plans and goals, you little ingrate!" He hissed. "Blood and iron, remember? Not fancy-ass dreams and theories! You think Gisil could have done the same? You think the love festival with Feliks and his mortals would have continued with no one waking up and say, 'Hey, what are the borders between us?'" Ludwig glowered at him.

"I tried to save you from that," Gilbert insisted. "And if it meant you didn't get to sit in a lecture hall and hear Hegel mumble into his notes, I'm sorry, ja? Now, you can go on the internet and hear the world's greatest Hegel scholar talk about him for free!" He pulled out some Swedish kroner and threw them on the bar counter. "So go ahead, dictate my daughter's future, send her to my enemy to learn everything she needs to know , and let her go to university to learn something useless to make _you_ feel better. Go on, _Herr Deutschland_, I can't stop you. I'm just the humble state of Brandenburg who raised you from nothing!" He turned on his heel and stalked out of the bar.

The cold air felt good; he liked seeing his angry exhalations appear like storm clouds, he liked feeling the knives stab his throat and lungs as he inhaled. He liked the sting of the cold in his eyes as he stalked through Stockholm's old town. He even liked how numb his cheeks and lips felt. But finally, the anger left and the hurt remained. He turned and headed back to the one place where he knew warmth and understanding lived.

Lili had returned from an early dinner with Austria and Hungary and was checking her email when she heard the hotel room's door unlock. She got up and saw Gilbert standing there. It always surprised her how he could look forlorn and defiant at the same time.

"You want to talk?" she asked. He shook his head as he entered the hotel room. She put her arms around him; he was cold as he rested his chin in her hair. "Tell me what you need, _Schatz_," she whispered.

"Did I really screw up that badly?" he murmured. "Am I really so terrible at raising entities?"

"Nein," Lili said. She had felt some secret resentment from Ludwig towards Gilbert, but she wasn't sure what it was. And as for Maria, she was impressed by his patience and love for her. "But tell me what you _need_, Gilbert."

He mumbled something about being loved, about feeling _sicher und warm_.4 Lili took his hands in hers and breathed on them. She could feel the warmth waking up in his palms. She tilted her head up for a kiss, and his cold lips sent little goosebumps along her flesh. But soon their mouths were warm, his hungry, hers sweet.

"Let's warm you up," she said, and they went to the bed and undressed. When she rubbed his arms and sides, he laughed when she exclaimed how cold he was. After awhile, as she kneaded and massaged him, he thawed and began purring like a cat. Soon they were under the covers, huddling skin to skin, rubbing noses. Gilbert now massaged her, his strong sure fingers gently but firmly squeezing her shoulders, lower back and behind. Lili could feel the stress from the week of meetings dissolving. She moved his hands up to her breasts.

Gilbert stroked and pressed them, tracing his thumbs around her nipples. She could feel a warmth rise within her as she breathed deeply, circulating the energy within herself. Then she felt him pause. "Is it just me, or have these gotten bigger?" He whispered.

Lili leaned in and whispered conspiratorily in his ear. "I've gone up a bra size over the past year."

"Nice," he murmured, caressing her. "All that pastry, ja?"

"Nein," she laughed, biting his ear lobe. "All the energy circulation through breathing and conscious loving we've done over the years."

He studied her, intrigued; Lili felt both mischievous and proud that she was still able to surprise him after a dozen years together. "So it's all that _chi_ you've got in you," he said. "What have you been doing?"

"Meditating, practicing my breathing and imagining it as a wave of energy circulating throughout my body. I got some DVDs and watched videos about tai chi, and I've been talking to China about it. I've been doing my own tai chi every morning for a year now." She said proudly.

"Here, I want to show you something," she continued. Lili removed one of Gilbert's hands from one breast. "Just be still and pay attention," she whispered. She began to inhale and exhale, pressing her tongue to the roof of her mouth. Gilbert's other hand rested on her breast. She felt the energy begin to circulate throughout her body and she imagined it as a little golden ball that she gradually drew toward her breast. It floated there, pulsing and radiating warmth.

She watched Gilbert's expression change from curiosity to puzzlement to awe. _"Mein Gott, _I can feel it! It's like you have a little heating unit under there." He moved his hand over to the other breast, which felt significantly cooler. "This is awesome," he whispered. He leaned down to kiss the energized breast, and she laughed at how she could feel the warmth diffuse into a little cloud that floated from her body to his. When he looked up at her, she was relieved to see the purple and glimmers of ruby in his irises.

"Care to move some of that good stuff down south?" He whispered and she nodded. He lay next to her, caressing her stomach and thighs, breathing in time to her, as Lili imagined the golden ball traveling back to her hips. It spread gently, relaxing her muscles. She lightly squeezed his erection and guided him in.

It felt exquisite to have him in her, to kiss and look into his eyes and see the hurt mend into peace and confidence again. "_Ich liebe dich_," she whispered, as he pulsed within her, his own energy growing and meeting hers.

"_Ich liebe dich_, Lili." He kissed her tenderly. "You're so good to me, _Liebling_, so good."

Outside, the cold Swedish winter night painted frost on windows and chased mortals into their houses and beds, where they longed for warmth and light. But as they held each other, Lili and Gilbert felt warm and renewed, as if in a perpetual spring.

**For the next few chapters, I have only one word for you: POLAND!**

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1 In the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, years 5 and 6 of a child's education (the equivalent of 5th and 6th grade in the United States) are called "orientation years," when children take courses an an "independent-type" school either affiliated with a comprehensive school or elementary school (Grundschule). These are the years, children are assessed and recommended for the next academic track, which in Maria's state ranges from college-prep (Gymnasium) to comprehensive school (Gesamtschule) with tracks in technical, vocational or apprentice-style education.

2 Final exams taken in the thirteenth year of the German educational system. To American readers, these are the equivalent of taking Advanced Placement exams or the International Baccalaureate courses and exams. An Abitur is a combination high-school diploma and university-entrance exam. Students who pass the Abitur are able to go directly to university. More and more professions that used to work with an apprenticeship-style educational approach, like banking, are requiring the Abitur instead of a Mittlere Reiffe (school-completion certificate awarded if a student leaves the 10th year in good standing).

3 Friedrich III (1831-1888) was the second German Emperor. His mother, Auguste of Saxe-Weimar, held liberal political views and wanted her son to have a classical education as well as the traditional Prussian military training (she was a mortal from one of Saxony and Thuringia's kids, after all). Friedrich attended the University of Bonn and was a very good student; he was the first Prussian monarch to attend a university.

4 German: safe and warm


	16. Chapter 16 Holy Thursday

**Chapter 16—Holy Thursday**

Maria followed her parents through the Easter markets of Vienna. She was twelve now and she told herself she was too old to be excited about toys, but a part of her still delighted in the wooden and plush bunnies, chicks and lambs for sale. Vati bought her a cell-phone charm that looked like Gilbird, while Muti urged her to choose some earrings. They admired the whimsical creatures and objects made of lampglass beads as well as the more grown-up styles made with Swavorski crystals. Muti bought her a set of earrings that looked like goldfish and another set in red and white crystals. "Whenever you wear these, you can think of your Onkel Roderich and Tante Elizabeta," she said proudly.

Vati's cell phone went off. He answered it and Maria noted how his voice shifted from friendly to neutral with an edge of irritation. "You're the hostess, Liz, you get to invite whom you want. We'll be fine; _Mein Gott_, I'm not going to start anything! It's Easter—peace, redemption, all that stuff. But you _can _ tell him to bring some _makowiec. _Ja, later." He ended the call and raised an eyebrow at Lili and Maria. "That was Elizabeta, calling to let me know Poland and Lithuania are coming over tonight and staying for Easter." He exhaled. "Between us, Vash, Ludwig and Feliciano, and now them, it's going to be a full house."

Lili shrugged. "The more the merrier, ja?" She turned and smiled at Maria. "Besides, it's time you met your neighbor."

"Ja, I guess so." Maria looked over at her father. He was texting someone and she could tell he wasn't happy. But when she cleared her throat, he looked up at her and hid his displeasure under a lighthearted smirk. "So how about I let _meine Damen_ finish shopping and I'll meet you two in an hour at that huge egg over there?" They agreed, and Maria followed Muti to the stalls that sold baked goods, smoked sausages, and decorated eggs.

She wanted to be excited about shopping with Muti; after all, this was the first year she was going to help choose trinkets for the other family members' Easter baskets. She felt very grown-up, but also a little sad and worried. Sad because she now knew there was no such thing as a giant bunny who left chocolate and toys for her to find on Easter morning, but also worried about what would happen when her father and Poland were in the same room. She had learned the basics of Polish and German history in school, but Vati had filled in some of the gaps in ways that unnerved her. Her teachers told her about how the Polish country had disappeared off the map during the nineteenth century, divided among Russia, Austria and Germany; they did not tell her that her father admitted he had worked and beaten the Polish entity as a slave during that time. They told her that the Treaty of Versailles had been created to punish the German Empire by giving away large tracts of land to the newly created Polish Republic; her father told her how weak and sick he had felt at losing parts of himself. She read about the rise of Hitler and his plans to take back those lost lands and claim the whole territory of Poland for Germans. Her father acknowledged the cruelty she read about and added, "For Onkel Ludwig, it was simply following orders. For me, it was personal." Finally she heard about how her father became East Germany and formed a grudging working relationship with Poland under Communist rule, how Onkel Ludwig welcomed Poland back to Europe after the fall of Communism, and how things were a lot better now. She wanted to believe it, she really did, but when she heard and saw the darkness in Vati's voice and eyes, she wasn't sure.

The family reunited and went back to Onkel Roderich's house. Maria thought he had the largest, most splendid home out of all her relatives. Muti's and Onkel Vash's homes were charming, Onkel Ludwig's was roomy and filled with antiques and electronics, but Austria's really felt like a palace, with many rooms and ornately carved furniture filled with china, crystal, and antique musical instruments. He had two libraries, one for books, and the other for musical recordings and scores. Maria thought about the modest apartment she and Vati still shared in Neustrelitz and she wondered why they couldn't at least have a little house with a yard. Maybe states aren't as wealthy as nations, she thought to herself.

"Vee, we made it!" Northern Italy bounded up from a sofa in the living room and rushed over to greet them. Maria's dark thoughts fled at his bubbly praise of her beauty and his cheek kisses. Onkel Feli always made her feel better. Onkel Ludwig got up and hugged her and then began talking with her parents about the drive. Maria sat down with Onkel Vash, who nodded at her.

Onkel Roderich strolled in and announced the various activities available in Vienna on Holy Thursday. There would be evening church services of course, with several productions of Bach's _St. Matthew's Passion_ in town. There were other concerts of sacred and secular music throughout the city, and of course, the nations were free to stay in and relax or join him in the music room after dinner.

"Let's have our own concert!" Feliciano exclaimed. Austria nodded approvingly. "We have two violinists and two pianists here," he said, "a clarinetist, a flutist, a guitarist, and what do you play, Maria?"

Maria studied her feet. "I'm tone deaf, Onkel Roderich." She recalled her first and only piano recital at seven and how silent Vati, Muti and Onkel Ludwig had been on the ride home.

"Ja," Austria said slowly, "that could make things difficult." He pushed his glasses up on his nose. "You could watch a movie upstairs while we play, hmm?" He clapped his hands as if he had decided the matter. "Now, everyone, please to the table for dinner!"

Later, Maria helped her mother and Tante Elizabeta clear the dinner table. The adults talked about their plans; it sounded as if Onkels Ludwig and Feliciano wanted to hear one of the Bach concerts, while Onkel Vash wanted to stay in. Vati argued that Good Friday was going to be solemn and boring enough as it is and that maybe they should go out and do something, when there was a loud rapping and ringing at the front door.

"I'll get it!" Tante Elizabeta headed to the foyer. Squeals of joy and unfamiliar voices wafted into the dining room. _It must be them_, Maria thought, _the dreaded Poland and Lithuania._ She wandered away from the table and into the hallway.

Hungary was embracing two short, slender men. One had long, light brown hair caught in a loose ponytail and the other had golden blonde hair to his shoulders. Both chattered excitedly with Elizabeta as they placed down several shopping bags.

"Liet, go get the rest of the bags from the car!" The shorter blonde demanded in a nasal voice. Maria realized that he was speaking in Polish and she could understand him. She eavesdropped as he complained to Hungary about traffic, the high price of gasoline, trying to find _makowiec_ at the last minute in Krakow, Lithuania's overly cautious driving—

Suddenly he stopped, staring at Maria with wary green eyes. Tante Elizabeta followed his gaze and smiled reassuringly at Maria. "Come here, dear, let me introduce you to your neighbor and my oldest friend, Feliks Łukasiewicz, the Republic of Poland." She took Maria's hand and pulled her closer. "This is Gilbert and Lili's girl, Maria. She's going to be the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern when she's older."

As Maria approached, she thought Poland looked a lot like Onkel Vash, with a sharper face and an even more wiry frame. He certainly dressed more fashionably than Switzerland, in an expensive-looking sweater and jeans with embroidery up the side seams.

"So, uhm, nice to meet you," he mumbled, his face turning red. "'Scuse me, but I have to help Lithuania get the rest of the luggage." He dodged from under Elizabeta's arm and out to the street.

Maria stared after his back, befuddled. _Such a tiny, rude little man,_ she thought. She turned to Tante Elizabeta, who whispered, "He's just shy. It takes him a while to warm up to new people."

"That's cool," Maria said. She went upstairs to her own guestroom and plugged in her headphones. She could watch one of her favorite anime on the tablet and not worry about the ancient alliances and enmities that drew the adult entities together downstairs.

**Don't worry, there'll be more Poland in the upcoming chapters. And it just occurred to me that I'm writing about Easter during the big Christmas/ winter holiday season. I give you spring in winter! Hope you enjoy!**


	17. Chapter 17 Good? Friday

**Chapter 17 Good? Friday**

**It's long, but it's mostly dialogue between characters, so it should read quickly. There's also some discussion of religion. But best of all, more Poland!**

On Good Friday, Onkel Vash went to an early service at a Protestant church, but everyone else either cleaned or got in each other's way in the kitchen. Maria helped Muti polish silver. "When are we going to color the eggs?" she asked.

"After lunch," Muti replied. "Onkel Roderich is boiling them now and then they need to cool." Vati wandered in with a ladder and a duster. He raised an eyebrow at the two females. "I now know why Austria insists on hosting us for Easter every year." He sneezed. "We do his spring cleaning for him!" He got on the ladder and starting dusting the chandelier, sending clouds and cobwebs onto the dining room table. Muti scolded him and he laughed, saying it was better to clean the lights now than after they had polished the table and changed the linens.

Maria went into the kitchen to get more silver to polish. Onkel Ludwig and Onkel Roderich were arguing about which recipe to use for the lamb cake, Tante Elizabeta was smashing garlic cloves for her soup, and Onkel Feliciano was rolling out pasta. Lithuania sat next to Hungary, peeling potatoes. Maria got the silver pieces and brought them back out to the dining room, where Vati was dusting the carved cornices that crowned the walls. Sometimes she wondered why adults put themselves to such trouble, especially when it caused people to quarrel.

"Can I take a break,Muti?" she asked and her mother nodded. Maria went into the kitchen, put some herring in wine sauce in a little bowl and stepped out into Austria's garden. She enjoyed the chance to get away from the bustle indoors and to sit alone with her thoughts among the daffodils, hyacinths and tulips.

She heard the side gate open and saw Poland come into the garden. He turned, mumbling and looking at a strand of beads in his hand. He wasn't paying attention to where he was going and he almost walked into her as he climbed up the stone steps. "Hey!" she cried.

The short wiry man pulled up, green eyes as wide as a startled horse's. He blushed and backed away. "Sorry, I, uh—"

"It's all right." Maria wondered why he was so awkward and nervous around her; she was just a kid, she thought. "That's a nice necklace," she said gently, nodding at the beads from which a cross dangled.

"It's a rosary," Poland muttered. He studied her. "You know what that is?" Maria shook her head. "You're, like, Lutheran, right?"

"I'm not any religion," Maria said. She knew Muti was Catholic and attended services in her own land, but she had never discussed it with her. And Vati claimed being East Germany had cured him of religion's madness. So they celebrated the Christian holidays, but she had never really thought about their significance beyond family celebrations and traditions.

"Oh _Mój Bój_!"1 The Polish nation plunked down next to her. "So you, like, have no idea what this day is about, do you? You must think it's like clean Austria's house day!"

"I know it had something to do with Jesus on the cross," Maria said. She didn't want him to think she was completely ignorant.

Poland huffed in amusement. "You bet, chickie! Today is when we remember the Passion, Suffering and Crucifixion of Our Lord Jesus Christ," he said solemnly. "I just came back from a Stations of the Cross Service at one of the Catholic churches. I was going to finish my rosary, break my fast, and then, like, get my cooking done before sunset."

Maria studied him. "You're like really serious about your religion."

Poland flicked his blond hair back. "My faith kept me going for, like, _centuries_. It kept me alive when your father and his buddies tried to wipe me off the map, when your uncle and father tried again to destroy me, and when that crazy monster Ivan tried to make me his little puppet." He turned to her, no longer shy or awkward, but proud. "You know who brought down Communism? A Polish pope and a Polish electrician!"

"Some people would argue otherwise," an unfamiliar voice said. Maria and Poland turned and saw Lithuania wiping his hands on a dish towel and leaning against the French doors that opened onto the back porch.

Poland waved his hand dismissively, "_Tak, tak_, I know you Balts are all, like 'Baltic Way' and 'Singing Revolution', but we totally got the ball rolling."2 He gestured for the other nation to come sit down. "Toris Laurinaitis, Republic of Lithuania. And this chickie is Gilbert's girl, Maria. She's going to be my neighbor someday, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, _tak?"_

_"Tak_, _będę_," Maria replied, grateful for all the years her Polish au pair had cared for her.3 Poland grinned, his eyes unguarded for the first time. He nudged Lithuania, who good-naturedly smiled.

"_Wieç mówisz Polską_?" Feliks asked her. "_Twój ojciec uczyć_?"4

"_Nie, mój au pair_."5

"Good," Poland replied, returning to his strangely accented German. "Because he would have totally taught you only curses and insults."

"Feliks, that's a mean thing to say to his kid!" Toris exclaimed. He tapped the hand that held Poland's rosary. "Good Friday, Christ died for our sins, come on, man!"

"Sorry." Feliks returned to his blushing, mumbling self. He turned to Lithuania. "When are the potatoes going to be done? I'm like ready to faint."

"When you offer Maria here a real apology." Lithuania's blue-green eyes flashed at his partner.

Feliks sighed and turned to Maria. "I'm sorry for that little jab. And I'm, like, glad you're learning Polish and you seem like a cool kid." He smiled shyly. "Things really aren't that bad between me and Germany. Ludwig and I are like cool. And your dad, well…I asked him to forgive me for some bad stuff I did to him and he accepted. So we can be, like, civil to each other." He got up and dusted off his fine woolen pants. "Come by the kitchen later when I'm making my stuff." He and Lithuania went back to the house.

Maria went back to help her mother finish the silverware and fetch the extra serving dishes they would need for the Easter Sunday meal. "Muti," she asked, "why didn't you go to a church service today?"

Muti gestured at all the activity going on around them. "I was needed here," she said. "We have a lot to get ready for Sunday, _Spatzchen_."

"But isn't this the day Jesus died on the cross?" Maria persisted. She wondered how someone as good as her mother could see Good Friday so differently from a fellow Catholic nation like Poland.

"Ja," Muti said. She went back to checking the serving dishes for cracks or dirt. "Your Onkel Vash takes Good Friday very seriously."

"But he's not Catholic and you are," Maria said slowly. She edged over and looked down over her mother's shoulder, watching her small hands wipe the antique porcelain platter. "Poland's Catholic too, and he just told me he came back from a church service."

Muti turned and looked up at her. Her dark green eyes were serious. "Some nations are more devout about their religions than others. Some like to focus on suffering and martyrdom, and others on reconciliation and joy. Some are very fussy about following rules and others are more flexible." She turned back to the serving ware. "Maria, it wasn't my place to decide about your religious education. It was your father's and he decided that religion causes more trouble than it's worth."

Maria thought about what Poland said about his faith sustaining him for centuries. Then she thought about how her history teachers and books said so much misery had been caused by religious differences: Christian crusaders against Muslims, Christians against Jews, Catholics against Protestants. On the news, she heard stories about rallies in different German states and cities against Muslims, or fundamentalist Christian missionaries from the United States. How could someone derive comfort from something that made mortals and nations so upset with each other?

"Ja, Easter is about the resurrection of Christ," Muti continued. "To Christians, that's about redemption from our sinfulness and hope that we are forgiven and loved by God. But to _me,_" and her voice started to quaver, "it is about the love we have for each other and how that love can save us and give us hope for better lives. Love allows us to forgive and be forgiven. Love redeems us." She wiped her eyes, excused herself and left the dining room.

Maria stared after her mother. She didn't mean to make her feel like a poor excuse for a Catholic. "Muti, wait," she called, but her mother had gone upstairs. _I better not make it worse,_ she thought, and she wiped off the rest of the serving dishes. It was the least she could do, she decided.

Austria spread some dye-splattered sheets over the dining room table and announced it was egg-coloring time. He, Northern Italy, and Poland had claimed the kitchen for their cooking, so Hungary, Lithuania, Switzerland and Maria found themselves with little bowls of various dyes, cartons of hard-boiled and hollow eggs, various glitters and stickers.

Lithuania ignored the latter and set up a little decorating station of his own. He set up a tea candle in a shot glass and a shallow metal bowl on top of it. He took out a block of beeswax and shaved some pieces of it into the bowl. Maria watched over his shoulder as the wax melted and he took out a stylus, dipped it in the wax and began drawing a design on an egg. "That is so cool," she breathed.

Toris turned around and smiled at her. "Not done yet." He dipped the egg in green dye. "Now we wait." He removed the bowl from the candle and added more wax. "We take the egg out of the green dye and now we add more designs." Maria, watched, fascinated at how he added more wax strokes with practiced assurance. "Now, we put it in the blue dye over there and wait." He started on a new egg and then directed Maria to take the first out of the blue. "Put the second egg in the yellow dye," he directed, "take out and dry off the first and bring it and that old handkerchief over here." She did and watched as he hovered the egg over the candle. The wax melted and he wiped it off. The egg was now a deep turquoise blue with green and white geometric designs. "And you have genuine Lithuanian _margučiai_."6

"News flash, Toris," Hungary sniffed. "You're not the only one who can do this." She went into the kitchen and came back with a small electric hot plate, a miniature frying pan and her own stylus. Lithuania shaved off some wax for her and she melted it in her pan and began working on her own egg.

Maria was intrigued; this was a lot more artistic than slapping bunny stickers or glitter on an egg! "Can I try?" she asked and Lithuania nodded and handed her the stylus. Working with the wax was tricky, because it seemed to have a mind of its own; it dried quickly and she needed a fresh dip in the melted wax for every line she wanted to make. But each design got a little better. She dipped it first in red, then in blue, and was happy when Toris told her it was a good first effort.

The afternoon fled in a cacophony of song: Lithuania and Hungary sang their own Easter hymns, Italy's tenor voice floated opera arias from the kitchen, and Austria started blasting St. Matthew's Passion over portable speakers. It was too much for tone-deaf Maria; she remembered Poland's invitation to join him in the kitchen. She fled there and saw him kneading a raisin-studded dough.

"_Mogę ci pomóc_?" She asked.7 It had been one of the earliest phrases Sofia had taught her.

Poland startled, turned and relaxed when he saw her. "_Tak_, chickie. Knead this dough for five more minutes, shape it in a loaf, put it in that pan, cover it with a cloth, and let it rise. Then you can help me with the _chrzan."_

"What's that?" Maria asked.

"Grated horseradish root with some beet for sweetness and color." Poland hummed happily as he grabbed a grater and what looked like a giant, knobby beige carrot. "It's like totally fabulous with ham and eggs!"

Northern Italy opened his eyes with alarm. "_Per l'amor di Dio, Polonia!_8Grate that stuff outside! It makes me cry worse than onions!"

Poland huffed and looked at him. "You're, like, always putting dried hot pepper on stuff!"

"Vee, that's my brother!" Feliciano wrung his hands. "Please, Feliks, it'll stink up the kitchen!"

"Whatev." Poland sighed. He grabbed a bowl. "Come on, chickie, let's do this on the porch."

Maria and Feliks sat down on the cold stone patio and Feliks began grating the horseradish into the bowl. "We'll take turns," he said. "I start tearing up, and then it's your turn, _tak_?"

Maria nodded, eyes already stinging. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, but I don't have to answer."

"You said your faith gave you strength during the centuries. But how can that be when it causes so much fighting and suffering?" Maria was barely able to finish as tears ran down her cheeks.

Poland shrugged. "It allowed me to believe things would get better, that my suffering had meaning. It wasn't just random and pointless. Just like Christ suffering on the cross wasn't just because some of the people in Jerusalem were threatened by him; he underwent the whipping and nails and hours in the sun for something greater than politics." He paused and wiped his eyes with his shirt sleeve and then continued grating. And people get into fights because they believe their ideas about God and how to worship Him are better than others. If you believe your way is the right way, then you want to correct everyone who's doing it wrong, _tak?_"

"But who's to say whose way is right or not?" Maria kept wiping her eyes. The stupid horseradish was making her cry harder than a Walt Disney movie.

"God does, in the end. But maybe we see it in results on earth. My way, like, led to the collapse of an oppressive government; others' ways lead to reigns of terror. 'By their fruit you will recognize them.'9 Your turn." He shoved the bowl and grater towards her.

Maria grabbed the horseradish root and began grating. The pungent root overwhelmed her and she had to wipe her eyes after only grating a few times. Poland was staring at her, puzzled and amused.

"_Pryzko mi,"_ she gasped, putting the root down.10 Poland shrugged and took the root and bowl from her.

"You tried. I'll finish this up and then I'll show you how to make butter lambs." He resumed grating and then paused to wipe his eyes. "Say, you want to go to church with me, Liet, and Austria to get the food baskets blessed tomorrow?"

"Sure." Maria thought it sounded more interesting than cleaning and cooking.

"_Dobry!_11Now go wash your eyes and face with cold water so your parents don't think I was, like, making fun of you or something."

Maria went back to the kitchen and helped Onkel Roderich prepare pickled beets. When Poland returned and finished mixing the horseradish relish, he pulled out some tiny lamb molds and showed her how to pack softened butter into them. "They're like totally cute!" he exclaimed. "I wanted to bring the lamb cake, but Roddy told me that he and Ludwig were going to make it. So I was like,'fine, gotta let the Germans think they're good at something.'"

"I'm not German," Austria retorted.

"Nie, you're good people, Roderich. You were like a total gentleman to my sister Krakow during the partitions." Poland looked up at Austria and smiled. Roderich nodded and resumed slicing red cabbage. Feliks turned to Maria. "Did you know that he was like a dad to your mother, chickie? He made her a principality and looked after her. When your dad and Germany tried to recruit her in the German Confederation, she was like 'no thanks,' and Austria kept an eye on her until the end of the First World War."

Maria looked at Austria. "So are you like my grandfather?"

Poland and Northern Italy began to laugh. "_Dziadek Austria! Nonno Austria_!"12 Austria blushed. "Stop it, you two!" To Maria's surprise, they did.

She went back to the dining room and saw her mother had returned. Muti and Hungary chatted and decorated eggs together, while Lithuania was engrossed in his own complicated patterns. Maria remembered how hurt her mother had seemed earlier that day and she went over and hugged her. "_Ich liebe dich_, Muti," she whispered.

"_Ich liebe dich auch_, Liebling." Muti looked up at her and Maria thought how sweet her mother was; her classmates told her stories about busy mothers, scolding mothers, sarcastic, jealous mothers, and promiscuous mothers who brought sketchy predators into her friends' lives.. Suddenly she realized how lucky she was to have someone like Muti.

"Muti, Poland asked me to go with him and Lithuania and Onkel Roderich to church tomorrow to bless the food baskets. Can I go?"

Muti looked up, her round youthful face alight. "As far as I am concerned, ja, you certainly may go. But you should also check with Vati."

"Where is he?"

"I think he and your Onkel Ludi discovered a plumbing problem in the main bathroom on this floor. Go check there."

Maria went to the bathroom, and sure enough, her father and Onkel Ludwig were arguing with each other under the bathroom sink. She knocked on the doorframe and they banged heads, cursing.

"Uh, Vati, can I go with Onkel Roderich and Poland and Lithuania to a church to bless food tomorrow?"

Her father wrinkled his brow at her. "We're not Catholic."

"I know," Maria said, "but they invited me and I want to go."

"Why?" Her father emerged from the bathroom sink cabinet. "We've been coming to Austria's house for Easter for several years and you've never wanted to go to church until now."

"Let her go," Onkel Ludwig said. "She's older now. Maybe she's curious."

Vati looked at Onkel Ludwig and tightened his mouth. "Why hasn't she shown any interest in a Lutheran or Reformed church?" He turned to look at Maria. "I notice you didn't ask to accompany Onkel Vash to a Good Friday service today."

Maria felt uncomfortable, as if she were betraying a whole side of her family. "They're getting some food baskets blessed tomorrow," she mumbled. "It sounded interesting."

Vati stared at her, and for the first time, she felt like a stranger. _He's mad at me_, she thought_, why?_

"Go." Onkel Ludwig said. Her father turned towards him and looked stunned. "Go," her uncle repeated. "And on Sunday, you will go with me and your Onkel Vash to a Protestant Easter service. Do we have a deal?"He offered his large, broad hand to her.

Maria took it, even as she felt like a traitor to her father. "Ja, Onkel. It won't be too early, will it?"

"But the sunrise services are so meaningful!" her uncle said and he winked at her. "Nein, we'll go to one at a reasonable hour. We'll be back in time for the whole Easter feast."

"Danke, Onkel. Danke, Vati." Maria looked at her father but he refused to return her gaze.

**See? The world didn't end and we got more Poland, _and_ I give you some springtime in winter. I try to please :) And reviews please me. I'd love to hear from you, especially long-time silent readers! **

* * *

1 Polish: Oh my God!

2 23 August 1989, millions of citizens of the three Baltic states—Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia—joined hands in a human chain that went from one capital to another as a way to draw attention to the 50th anniversary of the of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the secret clauses that led to the Soviet occupation of the three republics. The Singing Revolution is a term used to label the series of events from 1987 to 1991 that led to the independence of the Baltic republics from Soviet Rule. It refers specifically to the mass demonstrations of Estonians singing national songs, hymns and other songs forbidden by the Communist government. These demonstrations led to the eventual declaration of Estonia's independence in 1991.

3 Polish: Yes, I will

4 Polish: so you speak Polish? Did your father teach you?

5 Polish: no, my au pair.

6 Lithuanian: Easter egg

7 Polish: Can I help you?

8 Italian: for the love of God, Poland!

9 Gospel of Matthew 7:20

10 Polish: I'm sorry

11 Polish: Good!

12 Polish and Italian for Grandpa Austria


	18. Chapter 18 The Blessing

**Chapter 18 The Blessing**

Maria was used to waking up early; her first impulse was to go down to the kitchen to get some breakfast. To her surprise, Austria and Poland were already there, quarreling about where and when to get the food blessed.

"But, like, the whole service will be in, like, German!"Feliks protested.

"You're in a German-speaking country!" Austria blew his stray hair curl out of his eyes. "They'll all be in, _like_, German!"

"Don't you have any really conservative Catholic churches, where it'll at least be in like Latin?" Feliks whined.

"Nein! The Pope hasn't authorized that!" Austria turned away and saw Maria standing in the doorway. "Maria," he said, resuming a dignified, calm tone, "would probably get more out of a German-language service than a Latin one." She nodded and he smiled.

"Fine." Feliks huffed. "At least my German is better than, like, poor Liet's." He checked his cell phone. "He should be down here soon."

"Want to see what we are bringing to be blessed?" Onkel Roderich ushered Maria into the kitchen . He showed her his basket with jars of pickled herring, hard-boiled eggs, bread and dried sausage. "But look at _Pan_ Fancy-Pants's basket!"1

Poland proudly revealed a picnic hamper that could have held enough food for Maria's sixth-year class. "A little bit of what we're going to eat tomorrow!" He crowed. He pointed out fresh and smoked kielbasa, eggs, ham, little loaves of raisin and rye bread, a container of salt, a butter lamb, slices of poppy seed roll, cookies, containers of potatoes, beets, cabbage, and the deadly horseradish.

"Everything looks so good," Maria sighed. Poland waved a finger at her. "You can't have any until the crack of dawn on Sunday," he warned. "Until then, it's whatever can be eaten without cooking."

"I'm not _that_ strict," Austria muttered, but Poland laughed at him. "I give my women a break!" he exclaimed. "No cooking after Good Friday!"

Lithuania came downstairs, straightening his tie, and the four agreed upon a church and time.

Maria had never been in a church outside of a field trip. As they entered the Baroque church, she gasped. It was pink, pastel blue, gold and white; ornate carvings framed stained-glass windows. An organs' pipes reached to the heavenly ceiling. Statues of saints in various poses of adoration and torment stood in corners. She followed Onkel Roderich to the first pew, panic growing in her chest. _I don't know what to do_, she realized_, and everyone's going to see it. _

As if he read her mind, Poland leaned over and whispered, "Kneel when we kneel, stand when we stand, sit when we sit. The one thing you can't do is take communion. So just sit there and smile while we do that, _tak?_" She nodded and looked at the leaflet he shoved at her. _Gott Sei Dank_ it was in German, even if the Austrian German seemed almost like a foreign language to her. She was able to puzzle out when the blessing of the food baskets took place and was relieved to see it happened before the Eucharist.

Maria didn't even try to sing the hymns; she had learned from bitter experience how terribly she mangled a tune. She did as Poland said, trying to decipher the Austrian dialect as best she could; it was odd to realize that if they had gone to a Polish-language service, she would have understood it better. When the priest called parishioners up with their baskets, she looked at Austria and Poland. Austria looked hesitant, but Poland held out his hand to her. "Come on, chickie," he whispered, "help me lug this thing up there." She smiled, feeling as if she weren't a total outsider.

She stood in line with Poland, watching the priest and altar boys hover over the baskets. When it was their turn, the middle-aged man smiled and raised an eyebrow. He did the blessing in Polish, which made Poland squeal with delight. "_Mój Bój,_" he whispered, "He must be one of my mortals. He _totally _recognized it was a real Polish basket!"

After the service, Poland insisted that they should greet the priest after the service. The others hemmed and hawed, but he had his way. Maria stood next to him as he grabbed the priest's hand and chatted in Polish. Afterwards he told the others, "He grew up in Krakow and took orders because of the stories his parents told him about Pope John Paul II! Isn't that fabulous? I got his name and I'm totally calling my sister about him right now!" He whipped out his cell phone and chatted away, while Maria walked with Austria and Lithuania behind him.

"_Wesołych Świąt_, Elenka," Feliks said and he ended his call.2 "So," he turned to Maria. "What did you think of the service?"

"It was nice," she admitted. "I liked the blessing of the food and the building was beautiful."

"But what about the service itself?" Austria asked. "What about the music?"

"Onkel Roderich, I'm tone deaf," Maria whispered. "The most beautiful music is wasted on me." Austria sighed. "And I'm not used to the Viennese dialect the priest used," she added.

"You know," Lithuania said, "You should go to a Catholic service in one of the southern or western German states. You'd be able to follow along better."

"Nie, Liet, what she really needs is to hear it in Latin, God's own language!" Poland retorted. The others laughed. "What's so funny?" He demanded. "It's like the universal language! We used to speak it all the time at court, Liet, you remember that!" He turned to Maria. "Does your school offer Latin?"

"The Gymnasium does," she admitted. "But they also offer French, English and Chinese. Vati wants me to continue with English or start Chinese."

"Hmm," Poland snorted. "No one can ever accuse your father of not looking towards the future." He turned to study Maria. "But what do _you_ want, chickie?"

Maria looked back. In a short time, the notoriously shy Poland had apparently taken an interest in her. Over his shoulder, she saw Lithuania smiling at her. They were just strangers who had become friends; they couldn't do any damage to her or get her in trouble. "I want to become either a marine biologist or a zoologist who studies wolves," she whispered.

Poland clapped his hands, while Lithuania shook his smiling head, and Austria frowned. "You can't do that," Onkel Roderich scolded. "You're going to represent Mecklenburg-Vorpommern!"

"Why can't she do both?" Toris asked. "Let her go to university and then represent her state."

"I think that's fabulous!" Poland exclaimed. Maria smiled at him. "Do you think I can do both?"

Feliks turned to her, suddenly serious. "Listen to me, chickie. I met your Onkel Ludwig back in the 1820s. He was, like, so sweet, smart and idealistic then. If he had been raised by my friend Saxony, he would have gone to university and learned a totally different way of governing than what your father taught him. He's regretted that ever since. If you tell him you want to go to university and study fish or dolphins or wolves or whatever, he'd let you do it. And that kind of stuff can help you be a better state than just learning how to, like, do the paperwork." To Maria's surprise, he grabbed her arm and peered earnestly at her. "Go to university, chickie. Learn to learn, learn to think."

Lithuania shrugged and Austria sighed and shook his head. "I had no part in this,"Onkel Roderich said. Maria looked at Poland and nodded. "Learn to think?"

He smiled brightly. "Chickie, you have job security! You'll learn on the job. Study the things you'll love, that'll make you a wiser, better being." He laughed and shook his head. "I don't know why the hell I care about what happens to Prussia's child, but I like you, kid. Good people make good neighbors, _tak_?"

"_Tak_." Maria smiled and the two walked back to Austria's house, Lithuania and Austria leading the way.

Maria found her mother and told her about the church service and the blessing of the food. To her relief, Muti smiled and gave her a hug. "I'm glad you found it worthwhile, _Liebling_," she said. "I never felt I could impose my religion on you. I'm also glad that you agreed to go with your Onkels Vash and Ludwig to a Protestant service. I think it's good that you learn about religions before choosing one." She sighed. "Too many of us believe what we do because it's what we grew up with, not because we educated ourselves and made an informed decision."

"Muti," Maria said, "why did you start to tear up yesterday? I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"Ach, Liebling, I knew that. But when I started to think about love's power, I thought about me and your father. It was personal, that's all."

"But you have nothing to be ashamed of, do you?"

To her surprise, Maria's mother blushed. "I was selfish. I forgot how much your Onkel Vash cared for me when I started seeing your father. And I lied to Onkel Ludwig to protect your father when he was planning his bid to become the state of Brandenburg and Eastern Germany. But I've worked so hard to regain their trust and ask their forgiveness. And they've given it to me."

"What about Vati and the things he did to Poland?" Maria asked.

Muti frowned. "That is between those two. I was there the night Poland asked your father to forgive him for some cruel things he did to him in the past, and to your father's credit, he did. But I was also there when Poland's sister, the city of Gdansk, confronted your father. She had just told me about what he had done to her in the nineteenth century, and that had been very upsetting. I almost left your father because of it."

Maria stared at her mother; she had never heard this before. "What did he do to her, Muti?"

Muti shook her head. "It was long ago and it's not my place to tell you. If anyone should tell you that, it should be Vati." She looked up at Maria and there was a sad sweetness in her eyes. "When I teared up about love and redemption yesterday, it was because of your father. For so long, every nation had called him a brute and a bully. Poland was one of them. I took a chance with him and as I got to know him, I realized yes, he had done bad things. But he did them because others had wounded him first, _terribly,_ and he never wanted anyone to hurt him again." Her eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry, Maria, it still moves me. He needed to atone for his cruelty, to be forgiven, and to be loved. And I did all that for him. It was hard, but it was—_it is_—so worth it." When she looked up, Maria saw the love and pride shining in her mother's emerald eyes. "He loves you so much, Maria, and he wants to be the best father he can to you."

"He is good to me, Muti!" Maria exclaimed.

"Ja, he is. But sometimes the past is not always easy to let go. It's easier said than done." Muti stood up and hugged her. As Maria inhaled her mother's scent of almonds, milk and wildflowers, she felt the same comfort and love she remembered from her earliest years. "It's good that you are making friends with your neighbor Poland," Muti whispered. "But be cautious. Don't expect Vati to be as happy about it as Onkel Ludwig or I may be. There is too much bad history between them."

"Why does it have to be so hard between certain nations, Muti?" Maria whispered into her neck.

"I'm not the best nation to ask, _Süße." _Muti said gently. "I've never had a deep-seated hatred or rivalry towards anyone. Maybe Onkel Ludwig or Onkel Roderich can help you in that regard." She combed Maria's hair with her small fingers and smiled at her. "Tomorrow is Christ's resurrection from the dead and the redemption of humanity and all nations. But everyone is expecting Easter baskets as well. Will you help me and Onkel Vash assemble and hide them?" Maria nodded. "_Gutes Mädchen_! Ach, I remember your first Easter and how you just focused on taking that first plastic egg apart! Your Vati was almost in tears because he wanted you to keep hunting and find the stuffed rabbit he had bought you!"

**If you're wondering about the incidents Lili refers to when she talks to Maria, they are in "Liechtenstein x Prussia: Maiden and Unicorn." Also I want to wish everyone Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noel, Frohe Weihnachten, Got Jul, hauskaa joulua, and Buon Natale!**

* * *

1 Pan: "Mister" in Polish

2 Polish: Happy Easter


	19. Chapter 19 The Resurrection

**Chapter 19 The Resurrection**

**Long, but worth it. Angst! Poland! Frying Pangle! Angst! Settle in with your favorite beverage and let me know what you think.**

Maria dutifully got up and dressed to attend Easter service with Onkels Ludwig and Vash at the Lutherische Stadtkirche. In some ways, it reminded her of the Catholic Church; there was an altar with a large crucified Christ, hymns she couldn't sing, and a similar structure alternating prayers and Scripture readings. But she noticed differences in the prayers and how the minister spoke much longer than the Catholic priest. As they headed back to Onkel Roderich's house, Switzerland asked her if she knew what "grace" was, why the minister spoke longer than the Roman Catholic priest and if she was thinking of going to a Lutheran church back in Neustrelitz. She was feeling more and more overwhelmed, as if a teacher were quizzing her in front of a class.

"I don't know, Onkel," she finally sighed. "It seemed pretty similar to the Catholic service—"

"—It is _not_ similar!" Onkel Vash snapped, green eyes flashing. "Grace is freely offered by God to all! You can't buy it by building a fancy church or doing good deeds or saying certain prayers. When you accept God's gift of grace, it transforms your heart so you freely, joyfully give to God and others."

"I'm sorry, Onkel. I just meant the service, not the beliefs." Maria looked over longingly to Onkel Ludwig for help.

"But it's not! Do you know before the Reformation, the church services and the Bible were all in Latin? And most people couldn't read their own language, much less a Latin prayer book! When mortals began to question and demand Scripture translated into vernacular languages, the Pope and his minions crushed them! Why do you think they wanted to keep God's word away from the common mortal?" Vash narrowed his eyes. "To keep them under control and reliant on what they claimed the Scripture said!" When he jabbed his finger at her, he reminded Maria of an angrier Poland.

"Vash, it's too early for theology," Onkel Ludwig sighed. "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. I think all Christians can agree on that." He winked at Maria. "And we can have a splendid feast and then see what the Easter Rabbit has brought. Rumor has it he gets his chocolates from Switzerland." He nudged the smaller nation and managed to get a smile from him.

As they entered Austria's house, they heard joyous music by Mozart throughout the first floor and the sounds of bickering, bustling nations coming from the kitchen. Muti trotted out, wearing an embroidered blouse and dirndl skirt. "_Frohe Ostern!"_ She cried, offering hugs to her brother, daughter and cousin. She told them briefly about the Catholic Easter service she had attended with the remaining nations.

"Did Vati go with you?" Maria hadn't seen him since last night's dinner.

"Nein, Liebling. He got up when I did and went for a walk."

"And he's back!" Maria felt fingers tickle her sides and she shrieked in surprise. She turned and saw Vati grinning at everyone, mischief dancing in his red-violet eyes. "I followed the three of you for the past few blocks and you never noticed. I still have my awesome surveillance skills!"

"Ja, because nothing says 'Christ is risen' like being trailed by a former Communist atheist," Vash muttered as he went upstairs to change.

"I'm like the Holy Ghost, _Schweizer_; I blow where I wish, you may hear my sound, but you do not know where I come from or where I go, kesesese."1 Vati wrapped his arms around Maria; she was so happy to see him in a cheerful mood and to get hugged. "_Frohe Ostern, Spatzchen._ So, what's on the schedule for next Sunday at home? Greek or Russian Orthodox? Anglican Communion? Free Will Baptist? Shinto? Asatru?"

"Vati, you're being silly," Maria giggled. "Next week we'll take Willi for a walk in the woods near Lake Müritz."

"So does that make us water-worshipping pagans, tree-worshipping pagans or Pomeranian-worshipping pagans?" Vati removed one arm and crooked a finger towards Muti for her to join them. "You know," he said as he curved one arm around her slight shoulders. "Your mother is a daughter of Freya, the Old Norse goddess of beauty and love.2 She is initiated in secret arts known only to goddesses. That's how she caught a nice atheist boy like me."

Maria squirmed as she watched her father pepper her mother's cheeks and mouth with kisses. "Ewww, old people snogging!" She laughed and ran to the kitchen. Hungary and Austria were bickering about who was better at carving the ham, Northern Italy was pouring Hungary's garlic soup into a tureen, and Lithuania and Poland were slicing bread. Onkel Ludwig was adding last minute decorations to his lamb cake. "Can I help anybody?" Maria called.

"_Wesołych Świąt_, Maria!" Poland called. "Go get the butter lambs out of the refrigerator and put them on the table. One for every two place settings." Maria followed his instructions and then helped bring other dishes out to the table. Things were finally getting interesting this weekend, she thought; delicious food, then looking for Easter baskets, and then…being bored as the adults dozed or talked. Poland and her mother had thrown interesting tidbits about the past towards her and she wondered if she would hear any more. But conversation was polite and mostly about current events and issues facing the nations at the next World Meeting. No family gossip, no arguments, just a little nostalgic reminiscing about past Easters. Maria finished eating and fetched her tablet to watch a movie until it was time to hunt for Easter baskets. She had helped her mother and Onkel Vash assemble the baskets last night, but they insisted on doing the hiding by themselves; that was one of Muti's favorite traditions that she shared with her brother.

Maria thought it was funny to watch adult nations get excited about locating baskets. Even if they had been doing the same ritual for decades, they still got as competitive and engaged as children. Vati had challenged Austria and Hungary to see who would find theirs first, just as he had since the late nineteenth century. Muti gave Onkel Vash hints by shouting "_heiß"_ or "_kalt" _as he got closer or farther from his basket, just as she had since the end of the First World War. Maria wondered if they ever got bored or if they were pretending to enjoy themselves, like pop stars trying to act as enthusiastically during their last tour date as they had on their first. Maybe they actually entered the spirit of the moment and it was still fresh and fun to look for that basket, despite the amount of times they had done it over the centuries. She still enjoyed it, even if it wasn't the same as it had been only a few years ago, when she had been a kindergartener.

Poland flopped down next to her on the couch. "Inspecting your haul, chickie?" He asked. He fluffed up the grass in the red-and-white basket Maria and Muti had assembled for him. He admired the lamb brooch she and Muti had found at the Easter Market and pinned it to his embroidered shirt. He chuckled when Austria emerged as the victor of the basket-finding competition. "Pretty fast for a grandpa, isn't he?" He nudged Maria and winked.

Maria laughed and then froze. Austria looked no older than twenty-five, his dark-brown hair and slim, upright build giving no sign of his true age. He and Elizabeta had no children born of their bodies, only past nations whom they had collected and lost as an empire. Muti was not his real daughter, anymore than Maria was hers. And Maria realized that even though she had the same body parts as her mortal classmates, the same monthly flow, the same flutter in the belly when certain boys looked at her, she would never carry a baby in herself, never watch a little boy or girl crawl, walk, or run to find an Easter basket. Austria would never disappear from the earth, to live on only in warm memories and photographs passed from one age of generation to the next. Polish and German mortals would replace each other, moving farther and farther away from the times of old hatreds until they wondered why they had ever fought in the first place, but her father and the humming blond man next to her were stuck with the scars and insults on their bodies and minds, no matter how many centuries had passed. _Mein Gott,_ she realized, _we're all stuck._ Her stomach lurched.

"Excuse me," she muttered. She could feel a cold sweat blooming on her forehead. She had to get away from them, their chatter and memories and grudges. She got up and ran upstairs to the guest bathroom. She shut the door and kneeled over the toilet. Nothing, yet her stomach felt terrible and her head felt worse. Tears joined the sweat running down her face. Finally, she gave up and curled up on the fluffy rug in front of the commode, blood and dread pounding like centuries of troops on the march in her skull. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to rock herself to sleep and forget the truth about her existence.

She heard a knock at the door. "Uh, are you, like, all right?" She recognized Poland's voice. "Do you want me to get your mother?"

"Nein," Maria replied. She sat up and stared at the door. It cracked open and she saw Feliks peer in.

"Hungary?" She shook her head. "Is it a female thing? I've got lots of sisters and I'm totally fine with girl stuff."

"You can come in. I want to ask you something," Maria whispered. Poland slipped in and joined her on the rug.

"What do you want to ask me, chickie?"

"What did you ask my father to forgive you for? What did he do to you and your sister?"

Poland sighed and shook his head. "Oh, Maria, that's not the kind of stuff to talk about on Easter. This day is all about like, redemption, new life, forgiveness of sins!" He patted her knee. "That was, like, decades, _centuries,_ ago. As long as we're all in Austria's house, I want to be, like, civilized and able to have a polite chat with your dad over tea and _makowiec_. If I start thinking too much about the past, that'll like totally harsh my mellow." He waved his hand. "Ask me another time, like when my army comes to Brandenburg to train with your uncle's. At least, that way if I get mad, I can like run and wrestle and shoot things, and your uncle can break up any fights between me and your dad."

Maria looked at Feliks, puzzled. "I didn't know Polish troops came to Vati's state to train with Onkel Ludi's army!"

"We've been doing it for like forty years now!" Poland exclaimed. "And France shows up to train, also. Just between the two of us, "he leaned in and dropped to a whisper, "I think he only likes to come to watch Lower Saxony's chest bounce during the morning runs!" He giggled and Maria joined in; Tante Monika was very tall and athletic, but she was also generously endowed.

"_Mój Bój_, that reminds me of the time I brought kettlebells to training! They were just getting popular outside of Russia and I had this fabulous pink set. I bought some as gifts for your father, aunt and uncle, and I gave your Onkel Ludi and Tante Monika pink ones. Your Vati's eyes were twitching and he could barely speak as we were doing our squats swinging them!" Maria started laughing; she knew the expression Poland was referring to, and she didn't know which was funnier: imagining that or her stern, muscular uncle working out with pink weights.

When she regained her breath, she asked, "Is it true that Tante Monika was a punk rocker in the 1970s and 1980s? Did she really run around West Berlin in tight leather jeans and a black tank top with safety pins in her ears?" It was hard to imagine her serious, proper aunt doing that, but her father, Onkel Ludwig and even Hanover herself had mentioned it in passing.

Poland shrugged. "You gotta remember I was behind the Iron Curtain back then, chickie, and I was kind of busy with, like, strikes and bringing down communism, so I can't say. But I _do_ know," he nudged her shyly with his shoulder, "that back in the day—like the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries—she had quite a thing going on with your other auntie." He nodded and looked knowingly at Maria.

Maria stared back, aghast. "You mean she was in a relationship with Thuringia?!" She had been intrigued about hearing some family gossip, but this was just too much to believe.

Now it was Poland's turn to look shocked. "_Mój Bój_, _nie!_ Your father's sister, the one you're named after." Marie kept staring at him, puzzled and then stunned. Out of all the German states, not one of them had the same name as she.

Poland's eyes slowly widened. "Your dad didn't tell you he had a sister?" She shook her head. "Oh, chickie, I can't believe that! I know she was mad at him for Jena, but he should have mentioned her to you for family and history's sake!"

Maria studied her hands. Vati had told her stories about his childhood as the Teutonic Order, his time as the Kingdom of Prussia and Onkel Ludi's boyhood. He said very little about the Weimar Republic and the Second World War, but he talked about his time as the German Democratic Republic, his reunion with Onkel Ludwig, and how he had met her mother. In all the stories, he never mentioned having a sister. "Who was she? Does she still represent anything? Did you know her?" She looked up at Poland.

"Hmmm," Poland sighed. "Where to begin? Let's just say that when your father was the Teutonic Order, he found a little girl entity whom the Order called Maria and they gave her their new city of Marienburg to represent. Then lots of fighting between him and me, and I got the city, but because I'm like a good Christian and I believe in turning the other cheek, I graciously allowed him to take Maria out of Marienburg, so I could call it Malbork. She went with him to Ducal Prussia, which I allowed him to hold as a vassal to my kings. They both converted to Lutheranism and used Königsberg as the capital of Ducal Prussia." Maria raised her hand to ask a question.

"I thought the entity of a nation automatically gets the capital," she asked. "So if Königsberg was the capital of Ducal Prussia and Vati was Ducal Prussia, what did his sister represent?" She had a hard time thinking of this figure she had never known about as her aunt.

Poland shrugged. "I don't know. I _do_ know that in 1618, your father got into, like, personal union with the Electorate of Brandenburg, so he moved to Berlin, and his sister stayed in Königsberg. Then in 1656, your father's boss the Great Elector struck a bargain and a treaty with my boss that basically released your dad from being my vassal. It was a dumb move; Liet was totally right in warning me about it, but whatev. That's when your dad became the Duchy of Brandenburg-Prussia and then he got _another_ ambitious slyboots as his boss who struck a deal with the Holy Roman Emperor to start calling himself King _in _Prussia. This bugged me and my bosses, because _we _had the territory called Royal Prussia, which was where my sister Gdansk was. Like, you can't have two Kings of Poland running around, because that's just like begging for a civil war, but whatevs. Then your father got even more _ambitious_, got _two_ more clever bosses, and finally in 1772, after the first partition, they get part of my territory called Royal Prussia, so now he and his boss, Friedrich II—God have mercy on his heretical, sodomitical, pustulent, Polonophobic, deceitful soul—" Feliks crossed himself and spat into the toilet—"could officially call themselves the Kingdom and King of Prussia." Poland exhaled and turned to look at Maria. "And all this time his sister, the one I assume you're, like, named after, is the entity of Königsberg."

"So what does Jena have to do with this?"

Poland was about to speak, but then he paused. "I know this sounds really weird, but you have, like, the most fabulous hair. I'm just jonesing to braid it or style it. Would you mind?" Maria thought for a second and agreed. Talking—or rather listening—to Poland was fascinating, and if he wanted to play with her hair while he told her family stories, she didn't mind at all.

"Goody!" Feliks started separating one side of her hair into sections to braid and loop. He continued. "Jena was a battle in 1806 between your father and France, and France like _totally_ crushed your father. Now your father and Maria"—Maria jumped at hearing her name and she had to remind herself that Poland was talking about the aunt she had never heard of until today—"rode into battle and fought together, but when things fell apart for Prussia and he retreated, he _thought_ she was behind him, but she wasn't. She was intercepted by, like, a cluster of French troops, unhorsed and was holding them off with her sword until some mortal figured out they were getting beaten by a _girl_. The moment she lost her footing, she was doomed." Poland paused. "And I don't mean like they were going to kill her."

Maria thought about this relative she had never met, a female entity slashing and hacking away at men who wanted to do more than kill her. She saw reports about violence on television and the internet and she knew what Poland was hinting towards. "How do you know all this?" She whispered.

"I was there!" Poland said cheerfully and he started working on another section of her hair. "You see, after the last Partition, I was supposed to be, like, dead, but France took me and some of my mortals in. His boss, Napoleon, kept telling me he was going to put me on the map again. So I was there at Jena, fighting for France, taunting your dad as he fled the field, when I saw a group of mortals swarming around something like a pack of feasting wolves. I ride over, and _Mój Bój, _there's Königsberg! I beat the mortals away, scooped her onto my horse and rode back to headquarters. France and I patched her up and brought her with us to Berlin for Prussia's surrender. We were going to return her to your father, but she gave him like a total bitchface and insisted that we allow her to travel safely back to join her queen in exile. So we gave her safe passage to Mamel where the Prussian Queen Luise was. I'll never forget your father's face. Part of me was like 'Ha ha, even your sister like totally hates you and thinks you're a failure!' But another part of me kind of felt sorry for him because he looked so hurt and ashamed at leaving a fellow soldier, his own sister, behind. And rumor has it, she never forgave him."

"Where is she now?" Maria imagined Vati's relief about reuniting with his sister after a terrible battle and what he must have looked like when she didn't want to be with him. A memory flashed into her head: she was five, asking him if brothers and sisters could sleep in the same bed. His sad face backlit by the hallway's lighting. Poor Vati, she thought.

Feliks shrugged. "She's Kaliningrad Enclave, a little slice of Russia tucked between me and Lithuania. For decades now, her mortals have been petitioning Russia to change the name back to Königsberg or anything else. They say they don't want to live in a city named after Stalin's yes man."3

"So what was she like?" Maria asked. "Do I look like her?"

"Nie," Poland said matter-of-factly. "She looks a lot like your father. Same silver-blonde hair, same facial structure. She had long legs, basically a slender girl. Main difference was eye color. Her eyes were like violet—"

"Like mine?" Maria interrupted.

"Nie, hers are one or two shades lighter than yours and she had little red flecks in them." Poland finished with her hair and smiled into Maria's face. "Don't beat yourself up about not looking like her, chickie." It was weird how he seemed able to read her mind. "You're like really pretty and you'll be even more fabulous when you get older. In fact, if I were your _tatuś, _I'd totally—"4

"Get the hell away from her." A familiar voice growled from the bathroom entrance. Maria turned and saw her father glaring at them. He was breathing heavily, fists clenched at his sides. His eyes were the color of fresh blood. She had never seen him so angry, not even when she had thrown temper tantrums over stupid things like insisting Willi should sleep in her bed. She was frightened.

"What? We were just talking." Poland tossed his head at him, wrinkling his nose.

"I. Know. That." Vati's voice was low and poisonous. _Ach nein,_ Maria thought, _how much did he hear? _Her stomach flopped and she edged back towards the toilet.

"Good! So now you know you have nothing to be upset about." Poland turned back to putting the finishing touches to Maria's hair, as if a minor misunderstanding had been settled.

"Take your verdammt paws off of my daughter." Maria had never heard so much venom in her father's voice before.

"Newsflash, _Gilbert_. You're not my boss anymore. You don't tell me what to do." To Maria's surprise, Poland sprang to his feet and stood in front of her, arms akimbo, head high, his sharp chin and nose in the air. He no longer looked like the skinny, effeminate man who enjoyed gossiping and doing girls' hair, but a proud, aristocratic youth used to being obeyed.

"You have _no right _to say a _verdammt _word about me or my family to anyone, especially my daughter!" Her father took one step into the bathroom and Maria gasped. She couldn't help it; she could feel his rage filling the narrow guest bath, rolling from the doorway straight towards her and Poland. "Get the hell out of here before I break every little bone in your miserable scrawny body."

To Maria's amazement, Poland snorted. "How am I supposed to leave with you puffing yourself up in front of the door? What, I'm supposed to like jump out the window? Like that's gonna happen." He rolled his eyes.

"Nein." Vati's voice sounded almost normal. "I think I'm going to flush you down the toilet, _du Scheißhaufen_."5 He gathered himself to lunge forward, but then Maria heard a loud thud. Vati's eyes widened as he sank to his knees and fell forward on his face. She screamed, terrified that his anger had caused a stroke or heart attack.

"Vati, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She wailed and turned to Poland. "He's dead, he's dead and we killed him!"

"Relax, chickie! It was just Hungary!" Poland pointed back toward the doorway, where Hungary and Austria were standing behind Vati's sprawled body.

"He's not dead, Maria," Tante Elizabeta said calmly. She held a medium-sized cast-iron frying pan in one hand and gently stroked Vati's hair as she knelt down to inspect him. "He's just going to be out for a little bit."

"Feliks, help us drag him back to his guest room, ja?" Austria pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "It's the least you can do after winding him up like that."

Hungary turned to Poland as he walked back to grab one of Vati's legs. "Feliks, what do I keep telling you to do when you two get on each other's nerves?"

"Say 'whatever' and walk away." Poland grumbled. "But seriously, where was I, like, supposed to go?" He and Austria began to drag Vati's body away as casually as if he were a discarded mannequin.

Maria stared at the trio in horror. She looked at Hungary, who was checking her hair in the mirror. "How can you do this?" she finally managed to say. "How can you hit my father on the head and act like everything's fine?"

"Because it works." Tante Elizabeta turned and put her hands gently on Maria's shoulders. "Look, it kept your father from beating up Poland. He'll be out for a little bit and then Austria and I are going to talk some sense into him." They turned at the clatter of light and heavy steps up the stairs. Maria heard her mother's light voice crying in concern and Onkel Ludwig's baritone rumbling.

"I want to be with him when he wakes up." Maria tried to leave the bathroom, but Hungary's fingers were surprisingly strong; she held her in place.

"No, Maria. It's not your fault and you shouldn't feel guilty about what happened, but it wouldn't be good for you or Feliks to be one of the first people he sees when he comes to. Onkel Roderich and I can handle him; we've done this for hundreds of years and we'll be able to calm him down and get some sense into that thick skull of his." She smiled brightly as she steered Maria down the hallway and to the stairs. "Now, I think you and your mother and everybody should go out for a nice stroll and admire how beautiful Vienna is during Easter time. When you get back, we'll have a nice casual supper, picking at the leftovers from lunch. How about that?" Maria tried to say she didn't want to walk, but something in Hungary's bright green eyes warned her not to question her. So she trudged downstairs, where Onkel Ludwig was lining everyone, including a worried-looking Muti, into a neat formation for a guided tour of the beauties of Vienna.

"You can see him," Austria whispered to Lili after Easter supper. Maria sprang up to follow her, but Roderich shook his head. "Just your mother for now, _Schatz_." Lili smiled encouragingly over her shoulder as she followed Austria up the stairs. "We gave him a mild sedative and some painkillers, so he's pretty groggy," Roderich said, "but he should be in good shape for tomorrow. Of course, you're free to stay through Easter Monday if you feel he's not up to the drive."

"We'll see," Lili murmured. She wondered what kind of talk entailed the need for drugs afterwards, and then remembered Hungary's frying pan. _Gilbert must have been very upset_, she thought.

Austria led her to the guest bedroom. The shades had been drawn and she could see Gilbert huddled under the covers, mumbling to himself. Lili walked over, sat down on the bed, and reached out to stroke his hair. He winced and she remembered what Roderich and Elizabeta had said about smacking some sense into his thick skull. "Gilbert, _Süßer_, it's me, Lili." He opened his eyes and the wide pupils and deep burgundy irises seemed glazed and disoriented. Yet when he smiled, he looked very young and innocent, the way she imagined him as a boy before the Teutonic Order hardened him.

"Lilichen," he whispered. He inched over to lie closer to her, wincing as he did. "My sweet Lili. I messed things up, haven't I? I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Things can get fixed and they will," She said. She thought of Germany, Switzerland, Northern Italy and Maria playing a card game downstairs. Poland, Hungary, and Lithuania were talking outside, since Feliks resumed smoking after Lent.

"You're always so sweet and wise," Gilbert murmured. "So good. And I'm so bad." He squeezed his eyes shut and shuddered. Lili lay down close to him, gently draping one arm over her so he could draw her into his chest.

"Nein, nein, _Schatz_," she pleaded. "You're not bad!"

"Ja, I am," he muttered, rubbing his head against the pillow, his chin brushing her hair. "But he made me do it. The nerve of him, telling her stories about Maria." Lili peered up and saw the returning rage in his dark eyes, heard its rise in his voice. "It is _not _his place. Those are my stories, my daughter, my Maria! Not his."

"He didn't mean anything bad by it, Gil," Lili replied. On the walk, Poland kept repeating he didn't mean to hurt anyone; he just got to talking and was shocked Maria didn't know her father had a sister. She wanted to calm Gilbert down, but dismissing his words didn't seem like the best approach. "Ja, Maria is not his, _Schatz_. You can tell Maria whatever you want tomorrow, but now you need to rest and heal. Breathe deeply, let the anger out and the peace in, ja?" She did so, and he followed her lead, shifting down until his head rested between her small breasts.

"_Mein zauber Maus mit ihren magischen Brüste_, kesesese," he murmured.6Lili got an idea. She drew her energy up from her pelvis back to her breasts and gently pressed Gilbert's head against them. He chuckled appreciatively.

"Just breathe in and out with me," she said. "No funny stuff. Just breathe and let me hold you." He nodded and she felt his breathing fall into place with hers. She imagined the warm golden ball in the middle of her chest spreading out to her arms, down to her fingers and into his scalp. She closed her eyes and visualized the broken blood vessels mending and the swelling shrinking.

After awhile, she asked, "How are you doing, _Schatz_? Do you feel anything in your head?"

"Feels good," he slurred. "Y'know, she has small perky tits like yours. And legs that go on for days. Mein Gott, she could wrap 'em around my ears and had some to spare! Kesesese."

Lili froze. The golden ball and its rays started to quiver and break. Elizabeta? Danzig? "Who did, Gilbert?" She tried to keep her voice steady.

"Maria!" He nuzzled against her, eyes closed. _Nein, nein, nein, _she thought. It couldn't be, he wouldn't do that.

"Which Maria?" She whispered.

He snorted. "_My Maria_, _dumme Dinge_! _Meine Schwesterchen, so heftig und wild."_7To Lili's horror, he began to cry as openly as an old man or a child. "I loved her so much! I begged her to forgive me for Jena! I would have given her _anything_, I would have pushed Ludi aside and made _her_ the German Empire, if she would have forgiven me. _Mein Gott_, I miss her so much." He shuddered and sobbed into Lili's chest.

The golden ball had scattered. She was no longer Lili, the potential healer, but small, nervous Liechtenstein. _Mein Gott,_ she thought, he couldn't. But he did. He had crossed a line she had refused with an adopted brother. Part of her wanted to bolt out of the bed and run from him. But as he wept, mumbling incoherently, she thought of all he had suffered and done, all they had been through. _Love redeems us_, she had said to their daughter, but she thought it had done all its work. She had not expected this, nor the mixture of emotions she felt now.

Automatically she petted him, whispering, "There, there," but her mind and heart were elsewhere. As he finally fell asleep, soaking her pretty blouse with tears and drool, she felt stuck. Shock, revulsion, pity: she expected all of those. But she never thought she would feel fear.

**The information about Polish troops training with Germans (and the French) is true and comes from reader JLBB. Danke. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and look forward to more angst on New Year's Eve!**

* * *

1 Gilbert is paraphrasing verse 3:8 from the Gospel according to John.

2 In Old Norse mythology, Freya is associated with love, beauty, gold, war, and death. Her name in Old Norse means "The Lady." And you know how Gilbert calls Lili _Meine Dame_. Ain't just a D/s, courtly love thang….

3 Mikhail Kalinin (1875-1946) was the nominal head of state of the USSR from 1919 to 1946, and he was basically a figurehead. He supported Stalin and signed every one of Stalin's decrees, up to the imprisonment of his own wife Ekaterina. Olga Prodan, "Mikhail Kalinin."_Russiapedia_. TV-Novosti. 2005-2011. Web. 11 December 2012.

4 Polish: dad, daddy

5 German: you turd

6 German: My magic mouse with her magic boobies

7 German: silly thing! My little sister, so fierce and wild


	20. Chapter 20 Śmigus-Dyngus!

**Chapter 20 Śmigus-Dyngus!**1

**Hmmm, it's a Monday in real time and this chapter is about Easter Monday. A coincidence, I swear.**

Maria got up early on Easter Monday. Last night, Muti had told her that Vati was resting and she had to wait to see him until he was awake. She wasn't even sure if she _wanted_ to; he had seemed so angry last night. She was glad that Muti was going to be with them on part of the drive back to Germany; at least she would be able to talk to both of them and maybe things would be better.

She went downstairs to Austria's kitchen to see which leftover pastries she could have for breakfast. As she walked past the voile and lace curtains covering the French doors, she paused. She saw dark figures out on the back porch. She hid behind a door and nudged a curtain aside.

Austria, Hungary, Poland and Vati were sitting outside, drinking coffee and talking. She couldn't hear them, but she could figure out what was going on from their gestures. Vati sat back in his chair, nursing his coffee cup and looking down at the table. Poland was gesturing with a cigarette in his hand, looking exasperated and earnest. Hungary kept darting glances between them, occasionally saying something. Austria listened, raising his hand to pause Poland and look towards Vati.

Vati finally said something, and to Maria's relief, offered his hand to Poland. Feliks shook it and then the two clinked coffee cups and sat back. She smiled, just like Onkel Roderich did when Tante Elizabeta hugged Vati and Poland. _Gut_, she thought, _Vati's not mad anymore._ At least not with Poland, she thought. She wondered if Vati were upset with her. Did he feel betrayed? Disappointed?

She saw her father and the other nations start to get up from the table. She darted back into the dining room and sat down, trying to look as if she had been there for the past fifteen minutes. She heard them, speaking a mix of German and Polish as they went into the kitchen to refill their coffee cups and enter the dining room.

"Happy Easter Monday," Onkel Roderich greeted her as he entered the room. Tante Elizabeta smiled warmly and asked if she wanted some tea or cocoa. Maria thanked her and said she didn't need anything. What she really needed was to see if Vati or Poland would be willing to talk to her.

Poland walked in and startled a little when he saw her. He look behind his shoulder and slid over to Maria. "Hey, chickie, just want to let you know that things are good between your dad and me," he said. "Liet and I have to leave early to get home today, but before we do, here!" He dipped his fingers in his cup and to Maria's surprise, flicked droplets of lukewarm tea at her. "_Śmigus-Dyngus!" _He laughed. "It's an old Polish Easter Monday tradition." The two giggled and then he grew serious. "Say, Maria, if you ever want to like talk or something, friend me on Facebook, 'kay? I like you kid, and we can start being good neighbors, tak?"

Maria nodded, surprised and flattered that this shy adult nation would want to talk to her. For some reason, she felt safe with him; she had a feeling he wasn't interested in doing anything creepy to her. "Tak," she said. "And if I don't see you, _mają bezpieczną podróż."_2 That was also one of the earliest phrases she had learned from her Polish au pair.

Feliks grinned. "_Dziękuję,_ chickie. Now I'm going to get poor Liet up to get some coffee and pack." He sashayed upstairs. A minute later, she heard "Liet!" in his nasal voice.

Vati came into the dining room, cup of coffee in one hand, a slice of _makowiec_ in the other. "'_Morgen_, _Liebling_." He leaned over and kissed her on the head. "Is Muti up yet? We have a long drive ahead of us."

"I haven't seen her since last night." Maria thought it was odd that Vati didn't know if she was up or not. Usually, they were joined at the hip. _Ewwww, hip._ She winced.

"I'll go check on her." He went upstairs. Maria wondered if he was going to run into Poland and if their civility would last.

Poland and Lithuania clattered downstairs. Toris got coffee while Feliks started directing him as to which bags to put where in their car. Maria felt sorry for Lithuania; he seemed so kind, patient, and more masculine than Poland. Yet, Feliks seemed to be the leader in their relationship. Finally, Toris got some pastry for breakfast, and with many kisses and hugs, Lithuania and Poland were on their way.

Vati came downstairs. He smiled at Maria, but it felt fake and brittle to her. "Muti's decided to drive back to Liechtenstein with Onkel Vash," he said. "We need to leave soon, so why don't you run upstairs and say goodbye to her and pack."

Maria nodded. Everything felt wrong, she thought, as she trudged upstairs. They had always made the trip together, dropping Muti off in Vaduz before they entered Germany. She went to Muti and Vati's guest room. Muti was lying in bed, her back to the door.

"Muti, Vati said you were going back with Onkel Vash," she announced, half-hoping for an explanation. Muti turned to face her and smiled with puffy eyes. She held out her arms to her and Maria fled into them.

"Ja, it just made better sense." Muti's voice was sweet and calm, but Maria didn't like the sick, cold feeling in her stomach. Something was wrong, but no one was going to tell her until it was too late, and then she had to accept it. "Don't worry, Maria," Muti said, "I'll see you in a few weeks. I love you, _Liebling_." She kissed her hair.

Maria began to sniffle. Muti exclaimed and made little soothing noises as she clutched her. "Muti, why aren't you going with us? Is Vati mad at me? Are you mad at him?" She was sure it had something to do with Poland; had they quarreled about her talking with him? Was Vati angry or ashamed with her? If so, why was Muti leaving her alone with him in a car for hours? Maria thought of the cold silence awaiting her and sobbed even harder.

"Nein, nein, Maria, Vati isn't mad at you. I just thought it would make better sense for me to travel with Onkel Vash. It's a much easier trip for him than you and Vati. This way you don't have to make a detour to Vaduz." Muti's small fingers smoothed her hair, but Maria wasn't relieved. "No one's angry with you, my sweet girl," she continued. Maria looked up at her and saw her gentle smile.

"You and Vati?" She whispered. _Please don't be mad at him, please don't leave us,_ she thought frantically.

Muti smiled sadly. "He said some things that upset me yesterday, but don't worry, Liebling, all will be well." Maria didn't believe her, but her mother kissed her. "All will be well," she repeated. "Now you have to pack your things and head out soon. Do you want me to help you?" Maria felt very needy and young; she nodded and watched as Muti got out of bed, wrapped a robe around herself and slid her tiny feet into slippers. They went to Maria's room and put her clothes, Easter gifts and other items in her suitcase. As they chatted about packing, their dogs, and upcoming spring visits and activities, Maria started to feel better. Muti was planning to come back to Neustrelitz to see her and to go with her and Vati to the seaside resorts of her state in the summer. _She wouldn't say those things if she didn't mean it,_ she reassured herself.

"I thought you were leaving later." They turned and saw Vati watching them. Why does he always have to sneak up on people, Maria thought angrily, but she tried to look happy to see him.

"Ja, I am, but I wanted to help Maria pack and say goodbye." Muti stood up and adjusted her robe. "Besides, it's time for me to get up and get breakfast. Have a safe trip and I'll see you two in a few weeks." As she squeezed by Vati to leave the room, he dipped down to kiss her, landing only one on her cheek. Muti sailed into the hall, a regal little princess, as Vati turned to watch her. When he looked back at Maria with quizzical eyes, she shrugged and resumed packing. _That's what you get for being a jerk to other people, _she thought to herself.

He told her to be downstairs in fifteen minutes, and she nodded. Onkels Ludwig and Feli were eating breakfast, about to go back to their own countries. Onkel Roderich grumbled about how no one took Easter Monday as a holiday seriously, while Tante Elizabeta took a phone call from Poland. Vati was studying his phone's map application for shorter routes. He saw Maria and they made their farewells and got into their car.

The ride began silently, except for the German rock Vati played. Maria read a book on her tablet. When Vati tried to point out interesting sights along the highways and roads, she gave a cursory nod, engrossed in her British fantasy novel. They stopped for gas, toilet breaks and drinks. Vati grumbled about how expensive gasoline was, and Maria silently retorted, _What do you expect as we run out of fossil fuels? _Onkels Ludi and Vash now drove completely electric cars and they boasted about the savings in money and kindness to the earth. She watched him buckle his seat belt and start the car. For someone who looked barely twenty-five, he sometimes acted like a grumpy old man. She had to remind herself that he was actually old, almost a millemium, but then she thought of how Poland was actually older and yet more youthful in appearance and behavior. She wondered if she would freeze at a adolescence or early adulthood and looked resignedly at her flat chest. What strange creatures we are, she thought glumly.

Somewhere between Nuremburg and Frankfurt, Vati turned and stared at her. "You're awfully quiet," he said.

Maria shrugged. "Children should be seen and not heard," she replied.

"And people should speak when they are spoken to," Vati said. "You used to be such a little chatterbox. Why so silent today?"

"Why clutter up the environment with extra noise?"

"Are you upset about what happened with Poland yesterday? Or about Muti not traveling with us?" Vati had veered to the right-hand land where the traffic was slower, an unusual move for a nation who liked to travel fast.

"Both." Maria paused her book and turned to look at her father. She studied his fine, sharp profile as they drove along and noted the set to his mouth before he opened it.

"What do you think a father is going to do when he finds his almost-teen daughter getting her hair done by his ancient enemy? An enemy who has been known to play both sides of the fence, if you get my drift." Vati shot a glance at her.

"That she's found out her neighbor makes an awesome gay BFF?" Maria countered. At least her father smirked at that one. "Which females has he been with?"

"Ukraine." Vati glared at her. "And rumor has it, Hungary. Even Belarus _way_ back in the this isn't about airing Poland's dirty laundry," he sniffed. "I mean, I _could_ do it, just as he had no problem—"

"Why didn't you tell me about the aunt you named me after?" Maria wasn't interested in her father's self-righteousness.

Her father's knuckles tightened on the steering wheel. "What's there to say? Poland told you everything." His voice was bitter.

"Why didn't you tell me first?"

"Never came up. Never asked. Never seemed to be important." Vati shrugged. "It's not like she's going to show up at our door, waving armfuls of presents and asking to see you." He looked briefly at her. "She's basically forgotten about me, _Schatz_, and we should probably forget about her."

_And yet you named me after her,_ Maria thought to herself. Vati was back to watching the road. "Why is Muti upset with you?"

Vati open and shut his mouth a few times. At first, Maria was pleased to see he had no easy answer, but then she started to worry that things were more serious than she thought. "Frankly, I have no idea, _Schätzchen,"_ he finally sighed. "Last night, when she came to see me, I was pretty doped up on some awesome drugs. I must have said or done something then, but I honestly can't remember." When he looked at her, his red-violet eyes confused, she finally felt sorry for him.

"It can't be that bad if she's going to come see us next month," she said.

"She loves you, Maria," Vati said, his eyes back on the road. "She'll go through hell or high water for you, even if she's upset with me." He blinked, pinched the bridge of his nose, and kept driving.

**It's amazing to think that I'll be posting the next chapter in the New Year. And speaking of posting, I have just posted the first chapter of my Prussia x Danzig story, "The Pet" over the weekend. If you're interested, you can look it up under M-rated stories featuring Prussia x Poland, or you can put me on Author Alert, so you don't miss a chapter of either "The Cuckoo Bird" or "The Pet." I wish you all a Happy New Year with good health and good things. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing my work!**

1 Polish: Wet Monday. On Easter Monday in Poland, boys tried to drench girls with water from buckets. Now it's equal opportunity soaking or sprinking. Symbolically, it celebrates the "baptism" of Poland as a Christian nation in 966 AD.

2 Polish: have a safe trip


	21. Chapter 21 Gesamtschule

**Chapter 21 Gesamtschule**

**This is a long chapter, but it is filled with lots of action, dialogue and important events. So kick back with your favorite beverage and enjoy!**

Gilbert checked the time. Maria was supposed to be home from school any minute now. Willi was waiting by the door, tail fanning at every step outside their apartment. He imagined her walking along with some of her mortal friends, maybe stopping for snacks in the little downtown area of Neustrelitz. He was glad she had asked to go to Gesamtschule instead of Gymnasium, despite Ludwig's and Lili's wishes; he was even prouder that she had made the same case for attending the comprehensive school that he had made four years ago in Stockholm.1 He went back to his laptop and population reports for Brandenburg.

He heard the key fiddle in the lock and Willi bark. The door banged against the wall and slammed shut. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the old Pomeranian spin and dance for Maria's attention, but his daughter ignored him, running to her bedroom, amber hair and school satchel flaps flying.

"How was—"He began but she called, "Fine, it was fine, everything is fine." Her bedroom door slammed shut. Gilbert recognized that tone of voice; Ludwig had used it, he had used it and he knew it meant things were not fine. He and Willi stood outside her door. Willi pawed and whined, and he knocked. "Maria, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I said it was fine." Her voice was muffled and thick. Gilbert paused and thought a little. It _was_ her room and Lili had told him that a young female needed privacy; in fact, she had been drilling it into his head for the past two years. But he didn't like how this afternoon was starting. Maybe there was something to the old-fashioned belief that a man's home was his castle, whether it included a furtive teenage girl or not. He opened the door.

"Vati!" Maria screeched. She had an armful of new school clothes, the ones that Lili and Monika had bought for her in Berlin's nicest department stores. She was jamming them into her pillowcase, and the pants, skirts, blouses and dresses that Monika had altered to fit her were scattered all over the floor.

Gilbert hated seeing the expensive, unworn clothes tossed about like cheap rags, but Maria's appearance upset him even more. Her shirt collar was torn and the rest of her outfit was stained with dirt, blood and what seemed to be some dark liquid. Her knees were scraped and bleeding, her hair was a mess, and he could see blood under her nose and a puffy, bruised eye. For a moment, he couldn't see straight; his precious girl, the little baby whose soft unmarked skin smelled of the ocean and pines, had been hurt. He wanted to fold her in his arms, clean her bruised face, and destroy whoever had done this to her, all in one moment. Then he focused back on the scowling teen who was yelling at him to get out as she slammed the door shut. He tried to re-enter, but she had locked it.

"Maria," he yelled through the hollow-core door. "Tell me who did this to you! I'll call their parents, I'll call the police, I'll—"

"You'll make it worse. Just leave me alone." Her voice was cruel, decisive. Gilbert contemplated banging down the door and demanding information, but paused. They were all agitated, even the Pomeranian. He breathed deeply, said, "dinner will be ready in about an hour," and retreated, feeling more useless than he had ever felt on a battlefield.

Maria leaned against the door, hearing her father walk away. She cracked it open and let Willi in. She scooped up the little dog and collapsed on her bed. Now she could let herself cry, weeping into the Pomeranian's thick coat as he peered anxiously into her battered face.

She couldn't believe it; they had been her friends, she had known them ever since Grundschule! Just this past summer, she had gone swimming with them at Lake Müritz, and they had chatted and done silly dances. She even remembered Sabine telling her how lucky she was to get to go clothes shopping in Berlin; they had looked at fashion blogs together! And Sabine had been the one to throw the coffee at her, laughing at her shock and hurt before Anna had pulled her hair and Elke had thrown the first punches at her face and stomach.

She had been too stunned to fight back at first; the three girls had managed to drag her to the ground, tearing at her shirt and skirt, her hair, clawing, punching and kicking at her, while calling her _Schlampe_, _hochnäsig Hundin_, even _Hure_; she had never even kissed a boy, and Elke had bragged about going down on one at a party!2 It had taken Anna pulling her legs up, probably to humiliate her by showing her panties to some laughing boys, to stir her into fight mode. She kicked viciously, sending the other girl staggering and clutching her stomach. Then she got to her knees, throwing punches at crotches and bellies, fighting her way to her feet. Vati's words about attacks and defending herself came back to her mind and she spun on the girls, using fists, elbows and feet to send them gasping and cursing from her. Sabine made one last grab at her shirt collar, and she had grabbed her hand, bending and twisting it back until the other girl screeched in pain. Then she grabbed her Italian leather satchel (Onkel Feli's gift to her)and ran, terrified they were going to follow her and attack her again before she got home.

It was the clothes, she decided. The beautiful, expensive clothes that Muti and Tante Monika had bought for her in Berlin. They had looked at fashion blogs and sites together, studied what the teen movie and television stars wore on and off the set, and what would be flattering for her figure. She remembered how much fun it had been to go to the stores and try on outfits, how she felt like she were in a movie, swinging her shopping bags as she strode down the street with tiny Muti and statuesque Tante Monika. She and her aunt had even teased Muti about buying her a pair of leather jeans, until Muti had primly, firmly stated that that could be a gift from Monika when Maria passed the _Abitur._

She should have seen it coming, she thought. Her friends had been _too_ complimentary, too curious about how much her shoes cost or which store she had found that sweater in. And she, stupid, trusting fool, had answered honestly because she thought they were her friends. Tomorrow she would have to go back to see them in classes and the lunchroom; she imagined their faces, the whispers to each other and the insults to her. Worse, others had probably heard their side of the story through texts and tweets. Everyone would be staring at her, laughing at her, viewing her as the next easy prey. _Mein Gott_, she couldn't do it!

She heard Vati in the hallway, talking on the phone. Probably Muti, she thought. He called for her to get the door, and she unlocked it, ready to talk to her mother. But before she could ask for it, Vati took a photo of her, and snapped to the caller, "I'm sending you a picture of what your _verdammt_ daughter did to mine, so you better stop your whining about damages." Maria wailed in embarrassment and rage and slammed the door shut.

_Mein Gott_, he was going to make it worse, she thought. Whoever got that picture was going to post it, tweet it and tumble it, mocking her bruised eye, bloody nose and puffy, split lip, not to mention the red puffy eyes from crying. Now they'd call her a baby and snitch, new reasons to attack her. She slumped down by the door, sobbing. Willi propped himself up on her knees and kissed her face, licking the tears. She clutched him to herself, wishing her life was as simple as his.

"Maria," Vati's voice was gentle now. "I'm coming in and I'm going to help you clean up." When he entered, she didn't push him away. She was tired and hungry and her bruises and scrapes hurt. Vati helped her get up and walked her to the bathroom, where he dabbed at her face, knuckles and knees with a cool wet washcloth. He examined her face, looking at the split lip. "I don't think you need stitches," he murmured. "Just some salve and time." He smiled a little as he dabbed some on her scrapes and wounds. "You'll be fine, _Spatzchen_, unlike that little _Hexe_, whose wrist you sprained, kesesesese."

"Am I gonna get in trouble?" Maria murmured. She wondered if Sabine's parents were going to call the police or make Vati pay for any hospital fees that their insurance didn't cover.

"Not if I can help it, _Schatz. _I had to take that picture, so we have proof of what happened to you." Vati handed her a brush. "Dinner's ready and you can tell me what happened. I have a feeling it will be very different from Sabine's version." When he looked at her, some of her embarrassment and anger at him faded. Once again, he was her Vati, strong, clever, loving and protective.

* * *

School got worse. Maria saw it the next day after the attack, when Elke, the strongest of her former friends, circled her like a dog gauging its prey, while Sabine (wrist in a brace and sling) and Anna made a great show of whispering about her to other girls and even boys. When it was time to enter the school, Elke shoved her hard against the metal frame and then said, "_Est tut mir leid, _it was an accident" loudly enough so the hall monitor would hear her.

In classes, an undertow of whispers and snickers dragged her attention away from the readings and exercises. She knew it was about her, more insults and lies, maybe even plans to get her during lunch or after school. She thought some girls just looked curious, maybe even sympathetic, but when she tried to find a place at a table for lunch, there was none. Even the poorer girls and foreign students ignored her inquiring gaze or placed their bookbags or purses on the empty chair.

She finally found an empty table and opened up the bento box her father's friend Japan had given her. She had been so excited when she had received it, along with the set of cups, picks, and cut out tools; she had imagined her anime-loving friends exclaiming how _kawaii_ her lunches were and asking her how she made them. Instead, Anna had sneered "_Wie ausgefallen!" _and Sabine had pointedly commented that she heard those things were popular among Japanese school_children_.3 A couple of girls and boys walked by, peered at her lunch, and laughed, shaking their heads.

That day after school, Maria took a different route home. She was relieved that Vati was busy talking to Onkel Ludwig on the phone, so she could sneak into the kitchen and get some large garbage bags. She went to her room and threw yesterday's pillowcase of clothes into the large bag. She opened her school satchel and threw in the bento box, the food picks shaped to look like gemstones, the pastel silicone cups. She went through her closet and drawers, leaving only her jeans, T-shirts, and hoodies, while she threw her woolen skirts, fine sweaters, and cute short dresses into the bag.

Her phone went off. She saw it was a text from Sabine. Maybe she was sorry, maybe she would still be her friend in private. She read it: **U r trndng. Look O.O. **_Don't, _a voice warned her, but she hit the link and found the Twitter feed dedicated to rumors and insults about her. It already had over a hundred followers, almost her whole year-class and then some. People she only knew by name were posting and sharing the cruel lies on their accounts.

Maria threw her phone on the bed and began to cry. She was doomed. Before dinner, she wiped her face with a cold wet cloth, mumbled vague replies to her father's questions about the day, and volunteered to take out the garbage for the next day's pick up. When she did, she snuck the bag of clothes out and threw it in the dumpster.

The bullies were clever. They played within the rules that were only half-heartedly reinforced by the adults. So any shoving, pushing or stepping on feet came with a loud apology for any teacher to hear and an insincere, taunting grin directed at Maria. Others besides her former friends joined in, until it seemed every classmate was against her. During class group work, her partners withheld information such as due dates and refused to share notes with her, saying piously, "The school has rules against cheating, Maria," or "You're so _verdammt _smart, you figure it out," even though they gladly helped each other. She gave up eating in the lunchroom and sat in a stall in the girls' restroom until a teacher found her and scolded her.

She developed new routes for getting to and from school. She no longer carried her Italian satchel or wore nice clothes, but others still found ways and reasons to follow and jump her. Now it wasn't just Sabine, Elke or Anna, but other girls, who called her names and pulled her hair and scratched at her face and kicked her shins. Once when she threatened to tell on them, Sabine snarled, "You do and you better be _really _careful when you walk that little dog of yours." She made a slitting motion against her throat. _Not Willi, _Maria thought. So she kept silent.

She expected the attacks now, and she was better prepared to fight. More girls, even the ones who were stars of their athletic clubs, stumbled away, cursing and threatening her, because she had broken their noses, twisted their ankles, or dislocated their shoulders. She was astonished at how little effort it actually took her to hurt a mortal girl. It became her only consolation.

The most frightening day since the first attack occurred when her original tormentors were joined by two older boys. They had followed her, whispering and laughing, keeping their distance until they were away from school grounds. Then they began throwing pebbles and rocks, stinging her back and head. She started running, only half-aware of her newly planned escape route. When she turned too quickly, she tripped herself and fell. Before she could get up, the pack was upon her, the girls punching her as they dragged her kicking into a cluster of woods in the park. When she screamed, Elke slammed her fist into her mouth.

"Save your breath, _Hure_," she hissed. "You're gonna need it." Maria tried to kick back, but one of the boys grabbed her ankles. Panic set in, and she twisted and spun.

"_Verdammt_, she's gonna be a fun fuck!" He laughed and Maria cried, "Nein!" Elke pulled her head back by the hair and said, "No teeth now, _Schlampe._"

The thinking part of Maria's brain stopped, and something surged up her spine, like a chain of lightning. She grunted and twisted loose, oblivious of the hank of hair left in Elke's fist. Her foot connected with the boy's throat and he spun away, cursing and gasping. She sprang to her feet, teeth bared as she grabbed and snapped hands, poked at eyes. A thick red haze obscured her sight, but she saw real fear in her tormentors' faces before she ran back to the apartment.

She ran past a stunned Vati and spinning, whimpering Willi. "Mein Gott, what's happened to you?" He cried after her. She ran to her room , locked the door and looked at herself in the mirror. Bloody mouth, loose tooth, sore, raw knuckles. The adrenalin receded and she felt the pain in her scalp, lips, gums and other body parts. She wanted to clean herself and get medicine, but she still heard Vati banging on the door and demanding to know what was wrong. Finally, she heard a distant knock, and Vati walked away, grumbling to himself. She darted to the bathroom, but before she could get there, Vati called her to the living room. His voice meant business, so she obeyed.

A local police officer was there, his tablet out to take notes. Vati turned to her. "He says he's here because some parents reported you hurt their son." Vati's lip curled slightly. "Ja. They claim my fourteen-year old daughter, who's being bullied at school, has damaged their seventeen-year old son's throat." His contempt for the complainant was obvious.

The mortal mumbled that he was here to hear their side of the story; he had already heard the others and he wanted to be fair. When Vati turned to Maria, his blood-red eyes darkened to wine. "Tell him the truth, Maria. Tell him what you've been afraid to tell me." And she did.

By the end, the police officer asked Vati to talk to him in private. Maria cleaned herself up and came back to the living room. Vati turned to her. "The officer wants to know if you will press assault charges against the young man and girls." The officer explained to her what the others would face, how long it would take and what her role in prosecuting them would be. Maria listened, but all she heard was: _Public hearing. Court. Testify. News. Notoriety. Snitch. Liar. Slut. Revenge._ She looked down at her feet and saw sweet little Willi staring at her, white flecking his black muzzle and silver-grey face. He deserved a peaceful old age, she thought. "I don't know," she mumbled.

"You'd be showing those bullies that they can't get away with what they're doing," Vati said.

"They all would be tried in juvenile court. If he and the girls are found guilty of attempted assault, they could do anything from community service to jail. It could impact their futures." The officer added. Vati curled his lip at him, his eyes dark and contemptuous. "Ach ja, we can't keep that _fine_ young man from an awesome career as a bench warmer for a local _fußball_ team." The officer blushed, but then turned to Maria. "Do you want to press charges?" He asked.

She thought of how she could make her case; it would be her word against theirs. Five people's story versus one. The damage she had done, which had made Vati smile as she retold it, suddenly seemed as damning as if she had initiated the fight. "If they don't press charges against me, I won't against them."

The officer shrugged. "Let me call and talk to them." He excused himself and went into the building hallway to make his call. Vati stared at her, incredulous.

"Maria, press charges! Show the little _Mistkerle_ they can't do this to you!"4 He urged. She shook her head. The police officer returned and admitted he couldn't promise anything. Vati snarled, "Then we will press charges! I want all of them, even the girls, charged with attempted sexual assault!" The officer got back on his phone, and this time he told them that the parents were willing to drop all charges and try to work things out with Vati.

Maria looked at her father. His eyes had changed back to red. "Kesesese," he hissed, "I'll _gladly_ talk to them." The officer backed away. Maria offered him some coffee and cake, and he gratefully accepted. Vati called each set of parents, wandering off to his bedroom after the initial greeting. By the time he was done, he smiled pleasantly at the officer. "They have agreed to drop all charges, and they are very sorry for the mischief their children have caused." He swaggered over to the kitchen table and helped himself to cake. "Danke for your patience and fairness, my good sir. What was your name again? Ah, ja, ja, I recognize that. Let me walk you back to your car. Believe it or not, I know your family. Strange, ja?" Vati strolled out with the suddenly nervous policeman as Maria cleared the table and pondered if her father's calls would actually protect her.

That night, Vati declared that from now on, he would walk Willi in the early morning and after sunset. He seemed quite contented as they ate. Maria finally asked, "How did you do it, Vati?"

He smiled at her, rubbing a contented Willi's ears. "Remember, _Spatzchen_, I was the Democratic Republic of Germany. I know who worked for the Stasi and who collaborated with them and informed on their friends, family and neighbors." He grinned, a sly, knowing look that sent a chill up Maria's spine. "How _convenient _that some of these kids had relatives who collaborated, whose history could stir up a lot of old resentments among their friends and neighbors. Even our good police officer is not immune." He tilted his head and smiled. For a second, he was no longer heroic, protective Vati, but a cruel, shrewd man who could destroy as well as preserve. "Some nations and states still call me a bully," he murmured, gently stroking the dozing Pomeranian. He stared at her, his eyes dark red. "But I am _your _bully, Maria. Never forget that." She nodded and withdrew.

* * *

Vati had declared that he would drive her to and from school everyday, and even when she had complained about the embarrassment, he insisted that she would never be attacked again. Maria wished she had kept at least one of the thick woolen sweaters Muti and Tante Monika had bought her. The hoodies weren't enough, especially since all her tee shirts were thin and short-sleeved. The fights had stopped, but the taunting and "accidents" in the halls and cafeteria still occurred. Even though it was illegal in Germany for anyone to call another person retarded or insane, the word had spread that Maria Bielschmidt-Vogel was "psycho" and her father knew dirt on everyone's grandparents. Now no one spoke to her in or outside school; even the teachers seemed reluctant to call upon her. But Facebook posts, tweets, and tumblr flourished with rumors about her, her father, and her mother. According to them, her father was the son of a high-ranking Stasi officer who somehow was immune from persecution; her mother had been an underaged girl, maybe even Vati's half-sister.

One morning, Maria heard her father storm back into the apartment, cursing as he scrabbled in the kitchen's sink cabinet. When she followed him out to the car, she saw why. _Stasi, Nazi, Lesbischen, Pervert _had been spraypainted on their old VW. That was the day she asked him to stop driving her to school. "They don't attack me anymore, Vati," she muttered. He stared ahead, knuckles whitening as he listened.

"Ja, Liebling," he whispered. "I won't let them embarrass you. But the moment _anyone_ hurts you, we're back to the car, ja?" She nodded.

That was also the day she began skipping school. She would walk the route, and go right past the school to the park and woods. Then she'd read on her tablet or use her stylus to draw. She wished she could bring Willi with her, but that would have given it away. She would check the Facebook and Twitter rumors: She was in the juvenile justice system, she was doing tricks in Berlin or Amsterdam, she was in a secret training school for the descendants of Stasi or SS officers. She was in the United States or Saudi Arabia, at a special hospital devoted to turning lesbian thugs into straight girls. She was pregnant with her father's child, she was filming porn in Sweden. She had to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.

At the end of that week, Vati waited for her, waving his phone. "The school's director called, wanting to know why you haven't been there for a week." Maria didn't even try to lie. She just stared at him, amazed he could even ask the question.

"Isn't it obvious? I hate it there! They all hate me, even the teachers! I never want to go back there again!"

"So what are you going to do?" Vati snapped. "Hide in the woods all day? Let them chase you from an education that you have a right to?"

"Why can't I go to school somewhere else? Why can't we move to Rostock?"

"Because I have to be near Brandenburg for my job, Maria."

"Then let's move there and I'll go to school there or in Berlin," she muttered.

Vati snorted. "_Berlin?!_ You can't handle these small-town bullies and you want to go to school there?"

Maria's frustration bubbled up in her throat. She wanted to throw something at him, send stupid little Gilbird fluttering from his head. "Fine! Then send me to a private school! Or homeschool me! You and Muti have all this free time, you can use it to help me study."

"Free time?! I'm working for _your_ state as well as mine, not to mention representing Eastern Germany for the national and world meetings every month. Besides, Onkel Ludwig has outlawed homeschooling. And," Vati was winding himself up, "why should I pay lots of money for some elitist snob school or religious brainwashing when you can get a fine education for free?"

"Because I'm _not _getting educated, Vati! I get beat up, made fun of, ignored, gossiped about, and I'm miserable! I hate it!" She began to cry, hot tears of helpless rage. "Don't you see it? We had a police officer come here. _They _jumped me and _they _wanted to press charges on _me!"_

"And you defended yourself, Maria." Vati's voice was cold. "By leaving school, you're showing them they won. You're fleeing the field, when you should stand and fight your ground. _Scheiße_, you can do more damage to them than they to you! Take advantage of it. Make _them_ afraid of _you_." He stood in front of her and peered fiercely into her eyes. "I want you to go back to school on Monday," he said crisply. "I want you to walk in there, head high. They try to hurt you? Hurt them back, harder! They mock you for being good at school? Be _great _at it. They were jealous of your clothes from Berlin? Well, I'll call France or Italy or Japan or whoever you want tonight, and I'll get you a wardrobe that'll make their eyes explode from envy! Stop being on the defensive, Maria," he urged. "Regroup, return to the field and kick their asses!"

Maria looked at him and then studied the floor. He didn't get it, she realized. Clothes from Paris or Tokyo? He was signing her death warrant. "Just send me to another school," she whispered.

"Nein, Maria," He said. "I'm not going to let those mortals think they're better than you. You have to remember who you are. You know what's going to happen ten years from now? You'll be a beautiful, well-educated state deciding the policies that affect their lives. You'll be meeting with other states, your uncle, Germany himself! And those sad little _Schlampen_ will be fat sagging mortals stuck in dead-end jobs or on state welfare, with three kids by two fathers, getting drunk and beaten up by unemployed, shiftless hooligans!"

"Ja, and I'll be representing those sluts and hooligans and their brats for my whole existence. _Ausgezeichnet._"5 Maria sneered. She looked at her father and saw he had realized his mistake. "I hate it here. I hate the people I'm supposed to care for! I wish they'd all move away or die of a plague or something and leave me alone! I wish _I _could leave and do what _I _want!" She finally bolted past him to her room.

* * *

That Saturday morning, she was surprised to see Muti enter the apartment, rolling suitcase in tow. Part of her wanted to run to her for a hug and tell her everything; surely Muti would understand how awful girls could be. But another part of her withdrew, suspicious.

Vati took Willi out for a walk, and Muti made hot cocoa for Maria and tea for herself. "Vati has told me things have been really rough for you at school." Maria nodded and sipped her cocoa. "He thinks you should tough it out, but he has to realize everyone is not like he is," Muti continued. _At last,_ Maria thought, _someone who gets that._ "I know it's going to be hard, Liebling, but if you can get through the end of the school year, Vati and I will arrange to get you into the Gymnasium for next year. There should be a better quality of mortal, and you should all be too busy studying for the Abitur to get into fights and spread nasty rumors about each other."

Maria put her cocoa down. Muti really didn't get it, after all. She _was _in the Gymnasium-level courses at her school and the kids there were just as hostile as the rest of the students. "It won't change anything, Muti," she mumbled. "They'll still be mean, just smarter about it."

"Ja, but you'll get a fresh start, away from the Gesamtschule," Muti said gently. "It might be tough to be a new student for a little while, but you'll make new friends."

"Muti, you should know better. Kids spread stuff on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. I walk into _any_ school in Germany and all people have to do is google me and see what's been posted, and I'm doomed all over again." Maria slumped in her chair.

Muti blushed; she really did know better. "There must be ways to clear or block that," she mused. "I can't believe it's taken so long for anyone to change the laws regarding privacy and reputation on the internet." She patted Maria's arm with her doll-like hand. "I should have waited to take you school shopping, let you see what the other girls were wearing first before rushing out—"

"Muti, it's not your fault." Maria was resigned. "I just don't want to go to school here anymore. Why can't Onkel Ludwig make an exception and let me get homeschooled by Vati or you or another German state?"

"Because entities are not above the laws their mortals create," Muti replied. "We may get a lot of protections and privileges, but disobeying the law is not one of them."

"Fine," Maria said. "Then I'll get my _Mittlere Reiffe _and leave at the end of my tenth year. I might as well get started on my real life sooner rather than later."

Muti looked at her, shocked. "Nein, Maria! We wanted you to go to Gymnasium, take the _Abitur _and then go to university, if you like! Even Vati has said that if you pass the _Abitur,_ you can then study whatever you like at uni!"

"Ja, whatever I want, because it's not like I'm going to use it, anyway," Maria muttered. She saw her mother's green eyes widen with hurt, then get the same hard expression Onkel Vash did when he felt disrespected or imposed upon. She immediately felt bad for her sarcasm. "Muti, bitte," she pleaded, "I don't need the _Abitur_! Just let me finish up somewhere else, anywhere but here, and I'll do my best! But bitte," she started to tear up, "don't make me do all those years here! It'll feel like prison!"

Muti exclaimed sweet little noises and wrapped her arms around her. At the scent and touch of her mother's body, Mari lost it. She had wanted someone to hold her and tell her that she would be safe, she wouldn't have to fight anymore, that they would fix everything for her. Maybe it was finally going to happen.

"I'll talk to Vati," Muti said, "and I will get him to understand we have to do something different to help you. You deserve a nice bath," she cooed. "I brought some of those scented bath bombs you like so much."

The day passed pleasantly; Muti's presence created peace in the apartment. Maria wondered how someone so small, girlish, and soft-spoken could have such power. Gilbird flitted to her shoulder and groomed himself, Willi happily obeyed her commands, and Vati seemed more gentle and patient than he had recently. After dinner, they played racing games, laughing at the spectacular crashes on the television screen and then Maria decided to go to her room and study and watch a movie.

Through her headphones, she could hear raised voices. That was odd; Muti and Vati rarely argued so loudly. She took them off and leaned against her door.

"I told her she'd be a coward if she did that! She has so much going for her if she'd stop thinking like a _verdammt_ victim!" Vati's voice was sharp and bitter. "She can break limbs without any damage to her! She needs to stop being so _verdammt _soft and start striking terror in them!"

"Ja, so she can end up in juvenile court? That will ruin her education and her future!" Muti's voice was lower, but the anger was still there.

"_Mein Gott,_ Lili, she'll still represent Mecklenburg-Vorpommern! Who cares if she spends some time in reform school if it's for the right reasons?"

"Beating up the mortals you are supposed to represent and advocate for is a good reason to get in trouble with the law?"

"If it shows the little _Mistkerle_ she's a force to be reckoned with, ja! Lili, look back at all of us hundreds of years ago! We were all thugs, we all would have ended up in juvenile hall or jail if we had been mortals!"

"I wouldn't have." Muti's voice was calm and proud.

"Ach nein, of course not! You were busy in your little mountain castle, _burning witches_." Vati's hissed.6

A long pause. Maria had never heard Vati say anything so vicious to Muti before. _They hate each other,_ she thought, _all because of me. _

"That was cruel." Muti finally said. Maria could imagine her expression, dignified but hurt. "And it has _nothing _to do with Maria's problems in school right now. She has fought and suffered enough and she needs to get out of there."

Vati snorted. "She's rolled over on her back and let them trod all over her. She should be the one attacking them on the way to and from school, she should be causing _them_ to skip classes, she should be ruling the school, striking terror in them and making them beg to be her friend! Those little punks should be worshipping her awesomeness and following her like the _verdammt_ puppies they are!"

"Why, Gilbert? Because your sister Maria would have done that?" Maria detected acid in the edges of Muti's voice.

"You bet she would have! Sabine, Elke, and Anna would be begging to be her best friend! They'd have girl crushes on her! She'd rule those _Hündinnen_! Boys would be lining up out here to drink her _verdammt _bathwater!"

"Well, then, I guess we should just throw her back in the Baltic Sea and demand a new daughter." Muti sounded contemptuous and exasperated. "Or how about if we tell her that she has to chose a new name? 'Sorry, Liebling, you are not awesome enough for the same name as Vati's sister! Ja, the same one who has not forgiven him for something he did two centuries ago!'" Her voice was now almost as loud and angry as his. "Nein, nein, she needs a name that proves your point about her weakness! How about Katherine? You always said Ukraine was a simpleton and a crybaby! Madéline? A nice French-_Canadian _name! How about some Polish loser names? Felikja, perhaps? Adeladja_? Anything but the awesome Maria!" _Her voice ended on a note of tears and taunts.

"Stop it." Now Vati was the cold, controlled one. "We aren't changing her name. You're being foolish—"

"—_You're _being foolish!" Muti was crying, but there was a steely anger behind the tears. "You want her to be something she's not, just because of a silly name! She is _not _your sister returned to you! She is her own being, and if you can't love and accept her personality for what it is and do what is appropriate for it, then you are more foolish than I ever imagined! Gilbert, she is miserable, she is dying inside, she needs to get out of that school. All the scolding and shaming and pep talks are not going to make her become a badass like your sister! We don't have to make her stay there, and we shouldn't!"

A long silence. Maria wondered if she should enter the room and tell them to stop fighting about her, that she wasn't worth it. She was afraid she'd hear Muti go back to Vati's bedroom, packing and leaving for good, abandoning her to a father who didn't understand her and who didn't like what she was.

Vati finally spoke. "Then what shall we do about it?"

Maria heard her mother snuffle and pull herself together. "We will solve it," she said, her voice calm, but still thick with tears. "We will find a solution all three of us can agree upon." The adults dropped their voices to mutters and indecipherable sounds. Maria went back to her movie.

That Sunday, the three of them were silent, immersed in their own laptops and activities. Muti had a sweet yeast dough rising in the kitchen, Vati fiddled with the leaking faucet in the main bath, and Maria studied for an English-language test. Willi migrated from one lap to another, while Gilbird puffed himself up and dozed in Vati's hair. No one seemed to acknowledge there had been a fight or even a discussion of Maria's next school year. It would have seemed quite boring and cozy if Maria weren't afraid this might be the last time Muti was visiting them.

But as they drove her to the train station in Neustrelitz, she turned to them, dark green eyes peaceful. "Maria, _Liebling_, all will be well," she whispered as she held Maria in her small, strong arms. "I will see you in a few weeks again, ja? We'll go to a local store to get you something to wear for the spring." Maria nodded and finally let her go. Muti turned to Vati, and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her long and tenderly on the mouth. For once, Maria wasn't embarassed; she was relieved to see such intimacy and warmth between her parents.

The ride back home was silent, disrupted only by Willi climbing from her lap to Vati's in the car. Maria had insisted he come with them, terrified of her former friends breaking in to steal and kill him while they were out.

That evening, after she had gotten ready for bed, Vati knocked on her door and asked to come in. Maria agreed. He sat on the bed next to her, stroking her hair. It felt weird but also comforting, like the way he had soothed her to sleep when she had been a child.

"Maria," he said gently, "Muti and I think we have a solution for you. At the end of the school year, we'll spend most of the summer at the resort towns in your state. I'm going to look for a little apartment or rental house we can get somewhere. But come the school year, you and I are going to live most of the time in Potsdam. On Fridays after school, we'll leave for our little place in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, to keep you strong and connected to your state." He smiled at her and continued. "Muti found a private school in Potsdam that sounds very good. It's got teachers who are qualified enough to teach in Finland and it's got a great international language program. It has Swedish and American assistant principals who developed an anti-bullying program, and they have a strict no-bullying policy. They have American school-style clubs and sports teams as well. They have a pool for a swimming team!" He nudged her. "How does that sound, _Spatzchen?"_

"Expensive." Maria muttered.

"Ja, but Muti will help with the fees." Vati's hand rested on her shoulder. "She's actually going to be in Berlin tomorrow, talking to Onkel Ludwig about this." He kissed her head and got up. "Just get through this year, and things will be better. Can you do that?"

Maria thought. Five more months of taunts, shoves, rumors, and cold shoulders. But then there would be the summer at the beach and in the woods, and then a new state and school. She could start over, she hoped. "I'll try," she mumbled into her pillow.

"_Gut. Gute Nacht_, Maria." Vati left the room, leaving her to memories of the cruel things he had said about her to Muti.

**So, a lot of important stuff went down in this chapter. I worry if the situation with the assault and the police officer seems believable; German readers, I'd appreciate any feedback you have about whether that seemed realistic for both sides to drop charges after the parents talked to each other. Everybody, what do you think of Maria's situation and how it seems to affect Gilbert and Lili? Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

1 See _The Cuckoo Bird_ chpt. 15 "An Education"

2 German: slut, stuck-up bitch, whore

3 German: unusual, eccentric, outlandish, offbeat

4 German: scumbags

5 German: Excellent

6 There were two waves of witch trials in Liechtenstein in the seventeenth century. The first trials were from 1648-51 and 100 men and women were executed. The second wave was from 1679 to 1682, and again, 100 men and women died.


	22. Chapter 22 Willi

**Chapter 22 Willi**

**A much-needed short chapter.**

That summer, the family noted Willi coughed a lot and seemed to have less energy. He was fourteen years old, but he had seemed fine until recently. Gilbert took the Pomeranian to the vet and was told he had a heart murmur and was developing congestive heart failure. The vet prescribed pills and a special diet to keep him comfortable, and even assured him the little dog could last a couple more years, but Gilbert was realistic. Gilbert told Maria what the vet's diagnosis was and that they shouldn't expect miracles.

From that point on, Willi became the spoiled heart of the household. Gilbert no longer scolded Maria if he found the dog in her bed; he shrugged and said her body's heat and the mattress were probably good for Willi's arthritic joints. When the Pomeranian tried to hoist his front paws up to beg during meals, he and Maria gave him treats that they used to limit. Maria didn't talk much to Gilbert, but she cooed to the little dog, sounding like Lili did when Maria had first arrived into their lives. Gilbert made his own plans for the little dog's final act.

At one point, he sat down with Maria and Lili and explained that if and when Willi seemed in constant pain or unable to enjoy life, they would need to take him the vet. Maria didn't want to hear it and she went to her room, but Lili went in and talked to her. Gilbert assumed that she told her about her own struggle with her final decision about Bruno. When Maria returned to the dinner table that evening, she looked Gilbert in the eyes and said, "I want some input, and I want to go with you when we do it. He found me on the beach, and I owe him that much." Gilbert nodded, proud of his daughter's unexpected courage.

They moved to Potsdam and finished up preparing for Maria's transition to the private school. They bought the uniform, supplies, and attended orientation. Gilbert was taken aback at how much participation the school expected of parents; he thought mortals sent their children to private schools to have less to do with them, not more. But Lili seemed excited and engaged, talking to the directors and teachers about how to contact her and what she could do in terms of volunteering and fundraising.

Maria had been at school for a couple of weeks, when one morning she couldn't find Willi. He had apparently left her bed in the middle of the night. They looked and found his body wedged between her shoes in her closet. As she wept, Gilbert comforted her, trying to explain that dying animals often tried to find safe, enclosed places for their last moments. He got the wooden box Ludwig had made him. They wrapped Willi in one of Maria's baby blankets and put him in the box and then in the refrigerator. He asked Maria if she wanted to go to school; after all, they wouldn't be able to go to Sanssouci until sunset. She agreed to go.

They ate a silent dinner, got the box and then drove to Sanssouci. The last tourists had left, and the sun was setting. Gilbert had his flashlight, shovel and a meter of sod in the car. Maria carried the box, sometimes weeping, sometimes murmuring to Willi that she loved him and she would never forget him. When they reached the parterre where Friedrich II and his greyhounds were buried, Ludwig was waiting for them, his own flashlight and shovel ready.

Maria watched as her father and uncle dug a grave. She was impressed at how quickly and deeply they made the hole, communicating mostly with glances in the dusk. Then it was her turn to put the box in the grave and she wept as they covered him. Vati carefully laid the sod down on the freshly heaped earth and tamped it down with his boots. Then Ludwig took out a little granite marker and placed it down on the site. Willi was gone, packed away like an old toy or outgrown dress.

"There," he sighed. He turned to Maria. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark and she could see his pale eyes shimmering with affectionate tears. "When you come back in January, remember to leave him some sausage, ja?" He hugged her and Maria wept again, grateful for her uncle's powerful arms and golden baritone.

Gilbert shook Ludwig's hand. "Danke for helping us out," he said. He put an arm around Maria and she didn't shrug it off like she had during the past few months. "He was an awesome little dog."

Ludwig nodded. "Ja, he was." He smiled. "He thought he was ten times larger than he was. He ruled poor Bruno!"

"He was the first mammal I ever saw," Maria murmured. She remembered that day on the beach, the tiny furry gray creature pawing and yipping at her. "I wondered why he didn't fly or go back into the water."

Gilbert smiled, remembering that day. "We should head back," he said to Ludwig and they parted ways.

The next morning, Maria asked if she could have some coffee instead of cocoa. Gilbert paused and then nodded. She took it with milk and sugar at first, but gradually took to drinking it black with only sweetener. She liked the bittersweetness, she said. He understood.

**Poor little Willi! Maria is leaving her childhood behind. I will now be posting chapters of the Cuckoo Bird every Monday. I've begun posting chapters of my Prussia x Danzig story here every Saturday. It's called "The Pet" and you can find it under "M-rated" PrussiaxPoland fanfics. Check it out and let me know what you think!**


	23. Chapter 23 Together, Alone

**Chapter 23 Together, Alone**

Gilbert was happy to be back in Potsdam. It was easier to get his work done, Berlin and Ludwig were close by, and Sanssouci Park was his backyard. Every Friday, he and Maria either drove or took the train to the little apartment he had found in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's capital, Schwerin. They toured the castle, gardens, old town district and the state art museum. Maria would bring her tablet or even a pad of paper and pencils to sketch the statues or copy Dutch masterpieces. Gilbert realized he could drop her off at the Museum for a few hours and she would be content, completely disinterested in his or other teenagers' company. Then they would head back to Potsdam on Sunday, she reading or watching her favorite anime series while he studied the papers on his tablet.

He told himself he should be pleased with his daughter. Her sullenness and anger had blown over, leaving a quiet, well-behaved teenager who seemed to be doing well at school. None of her teachers or school's directors had anything bad to say about her behavior; they praised her diligence, intelligence, and politeness. They did note that while she got along well with her classmates, she didn't seem to have any close friends, but Gilbert wasn't bothered by that. The other students were only mortals, after all, and Maria's last experience with mortal friends had ended in betrayal and pain. So he understood that she would want to keep her distance from them.

What bothered him was that this distance extended to _him._ She ate her breakfast in silence, dutifully went to and from school, and spent most of her time in her room. She came out for dinner, made polite, noncommittal noises when he tried to speak to her, and then withdrew. When he pressed her to watch a movie or play a videogame, she demurred. "I have to study, Vati," she said as she washed the plates. Even when he tried to joke with her during chores, she was silent, offering at most a tolerant smile. In Schwerin, she took the bus to the museum, came back when she was supposed to, and lived by her laptop and tablet.

Ja, he told himself, he should be grateful that he had a daughter who was responsible and quiet. Her grades were good, her needs were modest; she asked for little and gave less. She wasn't filling up his days with trivial chatter, whining about going out with friends, or getting into trouble with boys. Sometimes he asked if she wanted to bring a school friend up to Schwerin or have one over for dinner, but she shook her head. When he pressed her about having _any_ friends, she told him that she did, through deviantArt, tumblr, and some online anime groups. Gilbert urged her to invite one of them to visit, but Maria gave him a skeptical look; her favorite mortal friends lived in Argentina, South Korea, the United States, and South Africa, she told him, so how were they going to get to Schwerin for a weekend? He was about to say he could arrange something with those nations' entities, but she told him that she was happy skyping and posting with her friends, and that was enough.

Gilbert decided he had had enough of the silence. He sat her down one evening and told her that from now on, they would have a technology-free period of two hours every night. No phones or tablets at dinner, and no computer time afterwards. The only electronics allowed would be a movie in the living room or the videogame console, multiplayer games only. He studied Maria's dark amethyst eyes for a reaction. She told him she needed to study, but he insisted she could spare two hours. She sighed, resigned. She continued to eat in silence, daydream during movies, and let him win videogames with minimal competition. He gave up and let her return to her electronics after a few weeks.

The only times Maria returned to a vestige of her pre-adolescent self were when Lili visited. Gilbert watched enviously as the two females chatted in the kitchen together or went shopping. Maria showed Lili her deviantArt account and Lili proudly hugged her, exclaiming over the praise and feedback she received for her art. The three of them played games, laughing and teasing each other good-naturedly, just the way he wanted. At night, he and Lili lay together, and he realized how much he had missed talking with someone, touching and being touched. And then the week was over, Lili headed back to Vaduz, and he was alone with the stranger they called their daughter.

Sometimes when he disturbed her while reading, she would glare at him and it reminded him of the times he visited his sister after Jena. He had tried to be a good brother, bringing peace offerings of clothes, food, and books to Königsberg, in hopes she would forgive him. Instead, Maria had acted like he was a nuisance. She sometimes accepted his gifts and other times she refused them. They would argue, he would drink, and then he would leave, hungover and ready to beat any mortal who looked askance at him. And yet he would try again, returning to the messy, book-filled house in hopes this would be the time his sister smiled at him and welcomed him in.

Other times, when they ate, he saw Danzig in the angle of his daughter's head as she gazed past him, and the kitchen light reflected in her amber hair and blue-violet eyes,. He recalled how the Polish city had said and done all the things one expected of a faithful concubine, while always giving the air of being somewhere unreachable. Maria, he realized, was performing the role of good daughter eating with her father, but she was also in that place where she would not allow him. And unlike Danzig, he could not beat or trick her into letting him in; she was his daughter and he could never do that to her.

_She was his daughter_, he thought. The lovely child who had bored him stiff with tales of ponies and underwater kingdoms, who had begged him to play with her, who had smiled at him with such open admiration and love, was somewhere in this tall, well-proportioned young lady with the high cheekbones and swimmer's shoulders. But she was hidden away and he feared he would never see her again. And it was killing him, a death by a thousand cutting glances, monosyllables, and silences.

On sunny days, or busy ones like the national meetings or World Meetings (now in _Warsaw_, of all places), Gilbert could tell himself he was fine: he had Lili, other family members like Ludwig, and friends to drink and hang with. He could brag about Maria's grades and good behavior to Antonio and Francis (he was _not_ going to show any recent photos of her to France!), tussle drunkenly with Denmark and England or the United States, and even do some meaningful work. Then Lili would return with him to Potsdam and he had someone else in the apartment to keep him from feeling the chill coming from Maria.

He would tell himself that a need for others was a form of weakness, that only losers need admiring throngs, that being alone was fine; he had been alone before, and he had been awesome, and he didn't need some teenage girl to hang on his every word or shadow his every move. And that teenage girl, his daughter, would flit through the room without a glance or sound, and he would know what a liar he was.

One evening, while he was skyping with Lili (they had to plan where to stay for the next World Meeting and he wanted to tell her about Maria's latest marks in school; it wasn't because he was lonely!), he found it hard to say goodnight and end the call. Even though he could see Lili was fading and growing sleepy, he kept talking, until she finally sighed, "Gilbert, what do you _really _want to tell me?"

He hesitated and then he forced himself to say it. "Lili, I am so lonely." The words rose up in his throat, the lump pushing them upwards. "_Mein Gott,_ if it were just me and Gilbird here or on a desert island, I could handle it, I really could. But to feel like this when you share a space with someone who's supposed to be close to you—" He broke off, gathering his strength to hold off the tears.

"It's hard because you don't expect that, ja?" Lili whispered. He looked at the screen and saw her staring intently at him. For a second, he remembered how Maria tried to grab through the screen at Lili when she was a toddler and he wished he could do the same.

"Ja," he sighed. "I just, I just want…" He couldn't bring himself so low to admit what he wanted.

"I'll make arrangements with my boss and I can be in Potsdam in thirty-six hours," Lili said. "Don't do anything foolish between now and then. I'll be there for you, _Geliebter_."

He nodded. He imagined how good it would feel to have Lili in his arms, to confide in her face-to-face, to hide in her and feel her love healing him. And this time, he vowed, he wouldn't let Maria hog her from him; Lili would be here for _him,_ not his cool, distant daughter.

**After the storm, the calm. Or is it really that calm? What do you think is going on with Maria, Gilbert, and Lili? I'd love to hear from you in reviews!**


	24. Chapter 24 Deviants

**Chapter 24 Deviants **

**Poland!**

"_Mój Bój_," Maria grumbled into her headset as she sat outside of the café, "They're like so gross. Muti comes over, Vati throws some money at me and tells me to go out before she can even say '_Tag_' to me! Then he drags her into the bedroom, like, in the middle of the day!" She rolled her eyes. "I tried calling and texting and no one's getting back to me. It's been like three hours already! They have to stop doing it long enough to like get some lunch or something!"

"I think you should go back home, like, _now_, and surprise them! That would be like totally hilarious!" Feliks Łukasiewicz started giggling. He twirled his hair, studying how he looked on the webcam.

"_Nie_, that would be disgusting! Knowing my parents are doing it is bad enough; I don't need to hear or see it!" Maria shuddered, and the Republic of Poland laughed at her squeamishness.

"But seriously, chickie, it's a _good thing_ your parents still, like, love each other." Feliks tried to look wise. "Too many mortals grow up with parents who hate each other or barely interact. And those are just the ones who, like, stay together! Even nations in personal unions and alliances can grow indifferent or downright hateful towards each other over time. So like just let them have their little reunion, _tak?_"

"_Tak, tak_, I know I should be grateful and all that stuff, but it's just so _creepy_ this time, like he couldn't wait to get his hands on her. He couldn't even pretend that she might have wanted to see me or do something before getting into bed with him!" Maria scowled, recalling how Vati shot her a warning glance as he embraced Muti when she tried to greet her mother. "He's so selfish. Horny old goat."

Feliks snorted and rolled his eyes. "Girl, my sister Gdansk could tell you stories about your dad when he was like the Kingdom of Prussia. Talk about selfish and horny!" He paused and flipped his hair. "On second thought, you, like, shouldn't hear those stories, I mean, we shouldn't even be like talking about stuff like this at all!"

"_Wujek_ Feliks, no one else would understand," Maria pleaded1. She had thought of Poland first, when she had left the apartment, disgusted and hurt by her parents' behavior. Ever since she had friended him on Facebook, she had found it easy to turn to him when she wanted to speak to an adult. She loved Onkel Ludi, but he was always busy and he seemed uncomfortable talking about personal matters. The same with Tante Monika, and she didn't feel close enough to her other German relatives to talk about her frustrations. Onkel Vash was out of the question; even though she knew he loved her, she feared his way of solving problems would cause more trouble.

But Poland was different. He was like her online friends, up on current trends and slang, easy to talk to, yet capable of giving support and advice that showed more experience and insight than the average mortal teen could give her. Ever since he had taken an interest in her four years ago in Vienna, she had felt like she had found an adult friend who treated her like an equal, but with a sense of playfulness and fun that she missed. Best of all, he knew secrets, and even though he frequently said he shouldn't be telling her such things about other nations and states, he ended up sharing them anyway.

"You know, I really liked that drawing of Germany you put up on deviantArt!" Feliks had decided to change the subject. "That was like, _really_ good! Have you shown it to him?"

"_Tak_, I made a print of it and gave it to him for his birthday. Onkel Feli really liked it also!" Maria smiled, remembering how touched and pleased Onkel Ludi had been by the portrait. But she had been even more thrilled when Northern Italy had praised it. It hadn't been his usual giddy ramblings, but really intelligent remarks about her use of light and shadow. He had said she had a genius for showing the soul in the eyes, and she had blushed.

"Girl, if Northern Italy liked it, then you know it's good. You should set up your own website and like do commissions. That is, if you aren't still set on biology."

"I don't know," Maria sighed. Her science and maths classes were getting harder. "I looked at what it means to study marine biology and I don't think I can do it."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that! You're like, an entity, you can study whatever you want and it doesn't matter! You could go to, like, art school and not worry about whether you can make a living because you already, like, have one!"

Maria looked bleakly into the webcam. "It sounds great, but then I realize I'm going to be stuck in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern forever. And I _hate_ the people there, I really do! I wish I were mortal, _Wujek _Feliks, so I could leave and live wherever I want."

"You can't say that, chickie!" Poland widened his eyes. "If you were mortal, you'd really have to worry about what you'd like do for a living, and moving wouldn't be as easy as you think. They've got, like, laws and requirements and all!"

"I don't care," Maria mumbled. "At least then it would really matter about the grades and the _Abitur_. Right now, I feel like I'm doing it just because my family wants me to, and it's not even like they could brag about me becoming a doctor or professor. I'll just end up in the family business, serving a bunch of mortals I don't even like. For as long as there's a state and a nation."She shuddered.

"It's not that bad, chickie." Poland pleaded. "If you were mortal, you'd have to worry not just about making a living, but like _death. _Even if you were a devout believer in some kind of afterlife, there's like no proof that your spirit lives after your body! And then there's like aging and disease and—"

"And having _real_ children and watching them grow up. Having a whole world of mortals to meet, make friends with, fall in love with. And traveling wherever you want and staying as long as you like. And knowing that you don't have to have the same loves and hates that people had two hundred years ago, because that was the past. And when you die, knowing it's all over, and you don't have to worry about history anymore." She dropped to a whisper. "Wujek Feliks, I'm being serious here. How can you be friendly with Onkel Ludi after what he did to you, back then…?"

Poland paused. Maria watched his expression change and glimpsed how old he actually was and how history narrowed his eyes and pinched his mouth. He took a deep breath. "Because in 1970, a German mortal named Willy Brandt came to Warsaw and dropped to his knees before the memorial to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. And he wasn't just any mortal, chickie, he was West Germany's chancellor. Your Onkel Ludwig was with him also, and that was when he apologized to me and I knew he was totally sincere. I forgave him not only because I'm a good Catholic, but because I knew him, like, way back when. He wasn't just some Aryan poster boy in an SS uniform; he was also that sweet, smart kid at the Hambacher Fest, who wanted to be a progressive, modern nation where my people could be safe and, like, maybe even free.2 So, _tak_, chickie, I could forgive him, because I wasn't, like, just some mortal who could only see like a part of the past."

"What about my father?" Maria had never heard Poland speak about Vati with such sincerity or warmth.

"Your father and I signed a treaty back when he was East Germany. He apologized to my sister Gdansk back in, like, 2000 for what he did to her when he possessed her. But has he like actually said or done anything to indicate he is truly sorry and he wishes to repent for what he did to _me_? _Nie_." Feliks flipped his hair back.

Maria sat back in her chair. It was hard to reconcile Vati, who loved her and Muti, with Prussia, the tormentor of her only adult friend. But it was true; the history books showed it and Poland had told her enough stories to flesh out the mortals' accounts. Then she remembered the cruel, smug look on Vati's face when he told her how he had shut up the bullies' families in Neustrelitz and shuddered. Maybe it wasn't such a leap between the two sides of her father after all.

"Well, chickie, Kasia's coming over so we can make like a ton of pierogi," Poland sighed. "Liet's down in the basement, getting the sour cherries, mushrooms, and sour cabbage out for the fillings. We're gonna be kicking it with the vodka, too!"

"Sounds fun." For a second, Maria imagined herself there, listening to Ukranian disco music, laughing and gossiping with Poland, Lithuania, and Ukraine, as they filled pierogi and ate them. She was going back to an apartment with her parents so busy doing God-knows-what in the bedroom that she'd probably have to make a sandwich for dinner.

"Aw, chickie, like don't sound so down! And get that crazy mortal talk out of your head, it like scares me. Do something fun, like draw or something." Poland startled and turned. "Liet! Don't break the jars! Gotta go, girl. _Porozmawiamy później!"_3

Maria said goodbye and got offline. She took the bus back to the apartment and entered without knocking; she figured her key turning in the lock was signal enough to her parents. No one was in the living room or kitchen; the lights hadn't even been turned on against the approaching dusk. "I'm home!" She called. "Like don't get up or anything!" She heard some shifting and mumbling coming from Vati's bedroom and rolled her eyes.

She went into the kitchen, started to heat some water in the microwave, and pulled a cup of ramen noodles out of the cupboard. She'd have that with a chicken sandwich for dinner, she reasoned. She assembled her meal and gazed at the bottles of beer in the pantry. Normally, she never drank one without Vati's permission, but she was about sixteen, _and _she felt she deserved one. She grabbed a bottle and her other food and sauntered down the hallway to her bedroom. As she passed by her father's bedroom door, she shouted, " So I guess this means no Schwerin this weekend? I'm going to eat dinner in my room. Hope you're enjoying your visit, _Muti!_" Her tone sounded a little mean, but so what? She thought. Why should she be the only one who felt snubbed?

Maria ate in her room and then turned to her computer. She checked her deviantArt account, reviewing her work. Most of them were portraits of her family, mostly in caricature, but there were realistic ones too, like the portrait of Germany. She got an idea; she connected her tablet to her laptop, pulled up the manga software Japan had sent her for her birthday, and began to play with it. In a couple of hours, she had the first strip of a comic that amused her. She posted it on deviantArt, and then went to tumblr and posted it there. She smiled smugly, feeling a lot better about her _schleißlich _day.

**I love writing Poland ^^. What do you think Of Maria's attitude in this chapter? I look forward to your reviews!**

1 Polish: Uncle

2 The Hambacher Fest was a democratic political rally disguised as a county fair that took place in May 1832 near Hambach Castle in the present day state of Rhineland-Palatinate (back then, it was in Bavaria). The participants supported liberal ideals such as freedom of speech and the press, liberty, and increased political and civil rights. Polish emigrants participated in the "fair" and this was considered the highlight of pro-Polish sympathy among the German liberal movement. I like to think a preteen Ludwig would have been inspired and touched by this event and maybe he had even seen Feliks there. Who knows, maybe he even promised him safety or his freedom? There might be a one-shot fanfic in there…

3 Polish: Talk to you later!


	25. Chapter 25 Reconciliation

**Chapter 25 Reconciliation**

**Some mild sexual activity (no explicit description). **

From the first moment Gilbert wrapped her in his arms, Lili sensed something was wrong. It was not only the way he commanded Maria to leave them alone for a few hours, but also how he kissed her and held her. Sloppy desperate kisses, groping hands: it wasn't romantic or passionate, but needy.

Lili's heart pounded faster as he pulled her into the bedroom and onto the Danish bed. She didn't like this. She wanted to slow down and calm him. As he nipped and sucked at her neck, an image of a vampire flashed in her head. She twisted away and glared down at him.

"_Wat_, Lili?" Gilbert looked up, hungry red eyes. "_Mein Gott,_ I missed you so much." He reached out to touch her cheek gently. She looked down at him and her anger and fear receded. She remembered how abject he had looked when they had last skyped. She had her own worries and needs too, but she realized they needed to wait.  
Lili took his hand and squeezed it. She breathed in and out deeply. "That's why I'm here, _Schatz_," she whispered. "We don't have to rush, I'm not going to disappear." She lay back down, facing him. "Breathe with me, Gilbert," she commanded.

She was relieved when he obeyed, as she stroked his cheek, arms and side. She could hear his breathing slow down with hers. Good, they were both relaxing. She edged in for a kiss, and this time his lips were softer and better controlled. They undressed each other and she rolled on top of him.

"Just be still," she whispered, looking into his wine-dark eyes. She rested her head upon his chest and rose and fell with his breathing. Lili felt Gilbert's hands trace along her back, landing to rest on the small dip above her buttocks. She smiled when she heard him sigh contentedly. They kissed and caressed some more, until she was finally ready to let him in.

Lili felt a tingly energy throughout her pelvis and back as Gilbert grew in her. She looked up at him and smiled at how relaxed and pleased he looked. This time when they kissed, they exchanged breaths. Lili imagined a circle in their bodies from mouth to heart to root to womb to heart and lips again; with each cycle, she felt a greater calm and joy sweep through her. Her worries and questions receded, as she concentrated on the energy orbiting through their bodies. She enjoyed listening to Gilbert's deep sighs, feeling him rise and fall under her, sensing his muscles relax. She didn't mind that he was falling asleep inside her; experience had shown it seemed to recharge him better than regular cuddling did. She didn't even mind it for herself; she had been so anxious on her way to Potsdam. Ridiculous but disturbing scenes had played in her head about his loneliness, Maria's coldness, her budding beauty, his history….Lili closed her eyes and surrendered to sleep, trusting the orbit of energy to repair their hearts and minds.

Later, Maria's entrance and sarcastic remarks would awaken them. Gilbert shook himself and grumbled, "That's the most she's said out loud in a whole week." Lili murmured about getting up and wishing their daughter good night, but he tightened his arms around her and she felt him surge inside her. "Talk to her tomorrow," he pleaded. "Just stay here with me tonight, _Liebling._ You feel so good right now." She nodded and laid her head back down on his chest.

The next morning, a half-full coffeemaker and a note greeted Lili in the kitchen. Maria had gone to Sanssouci to do some sketches and would be back after lunch. She was disappointed because she had hoped she would be able to talk to her daughter. Maybe she could get some time alone with her before dinner, maybe even make dinner together and chat.

She felt warm strong arms around her waist and the familiar scent of gunpowder and musk greeted her. Gilbert hugged her and whispered, "Back to bed, _meine Dame. _I'm going to make us pancakes and serve you." He kissed her hair, ears, and cheeks. Lili laughed and looked up at him. He seemed much more like his best self: assured and playful. So she showered and returned to bed, awaiting him with the tray. They ate together in a lighthearted mood. Lili didn't want to disturb it with her questions.

Later in the morning, as they ran errands together, Gilbert brought up Maria's behavior to Lili's relief. "I don't get it," he fumed. "I think sometimes it's Willi's death, but when I ask her, she says it's not that. I ask her if she wants another puppy, I even say that we'll get it from her _verdammt_ buddy Poland, and she just _shrugs_ and says okay but not to do it on _her account. _ I ask about that fancy school and she says it's fine. I even call the directors and teachers and ask if that's the truth, and they say, ja, that she is a pleasure to have in class and her classmates seem to like her. She likes Schwerin better than Neustrelitz. _I _like it better than that little town too! You'd think she'd be happy, _you'd_ _think_ she'd feel a little gratitude towards us for getting her out of that _verdammt_ hell, but she acts like she'd rather be anywhere but with me." He turned to Lili and she saw the shade of his loneliness and grief rise in his eyes. "She used to adore me, Lili. I used to pray for a minute away from her chatter and tagging after me when she was little, and now I wish that Maria would return."

_I wish that Maria would return._ Lili froze. She knew what he meant, but the subconscious meaning of the sentence was more significant to her. _Be calm and sensible, _she warned herself. She talked to him about adolescents' need to separate themselves from their parents and develop their own identities, but he shrugged dismissively.

"Ludi never did this nonsense," he muttered. "He had his studies, then his military training and commitments. And back then, you could box a youth's ears or still whip him for rudeness! Same thing for the girls. You don't know how many Junkers' daughters got beaten into a marriage!"

Lili turned and stared at him. "Is that what you want to do to our daughter, Gilbert?" She kept her voice low. "You want to punish her for not being a five-year old anymore?" Gilbert looked uncomfortable. "You've said yourself that she behaves well at school and home," she persisted. "Do you think you can beat her into adoring you?" _Like Danzig? Like your sister?_

"Of course not," he replied. "And ja, it could be worse. But I might as well be living with a stranger and not my only daughter." He looked at Lili and the hungry, longing look returned in full force. "I live for the weeks we're at World Meetings and you come to stay with us."

Lili's fear and annoyance started to fade. They stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and she reached up and cupped his face with her hands. "That's why I came," she whispered. "You needed me and I came." He nodded slightly; she knew how much it cost him to acknowledge this in public. "I needed to come too, _Schatz_," she continued. "I needed to see you and talk to you."

He leaned down and kissed her amongst the tourists and townspeople of Potsdam. "I think we're done with our errands," he murmured in her ear. "Let's go home before lunchtime, ja?"

Maria was still out, so they were able to go back to the bedroom and make love. This time, Gilbert was in charge, guiding Lili's energy with his kisses and caresses. She was grateful, and sank back onto the bed, enjoying the pleasure rippling through her body. When Gilbert looked at her with royal purple eyes, she felt strong and at peace, just as she felt him to be.

It was so pleasant to lie together, she thought, to hear him call her _meine Dame_ and_ liebste Liebe _and to believe it was completely true. Only when their daughter tromped through the rooms again, shouting, "I'm home for lunch now. Don't trouble yourselves!", did Lili feel guilty and remember the other reason why she came to visit. She got up, dressed, and went to the bathroom to tidy up. She could see Gilbert pout as she left, but she reminded him she would return.

When Lili entered the kitchen, Maria was busy making herself a sandwich. She looked down at her. "Muti, so good to see you! Let me make you some lunch; you look _exhausted._" Lili frowned at her daughter's sarcasm. The two worked side-by-side, cutting slices of bread and chicken.

"I'm glad to have a chance to talk to you, Maria," Lili said. "Whenever we have skyped, you've always seemed so preoccupied. You tell me you're doing well and I want to believe you. But then I hear how unhappy Vati is, and I wonder how things really are."

"What do you mean? I stay out of trouble, I do well in school." Maria shrugged, then turned to her mother. "What more does he want?"

Lili studied her daughter. Maria looked like a sixteen-year old mortal, a beautiful one. Thick, wavy amber hair floated down her shoulders and framed her oval face. She was tall and slender with broad shoulders and her bustline was a perfect medium. Her large amethyst eyes shone with curiosity.

"He wants to feel like you don't hate him," Lili finally murmured. She couldn't bring herself to say _he wants to feel you love him_ in light of the last Maria he had loved. "He knows you are a good student and well-behaved, but he tells me how distant you are towards him and it hurts him."

To her surprise, Maria snorted. "I'm not a baby anymore, Muti. I learned about the Oedipus and Electra complexes in human psychology class this year. It would be creepy if I clung to him like I used to." She raised her eyebrow at Lili. "You wouldn't like it if I were all 'Ach, Vati, I'll always be your little girl' would you, Muti?"

Lili felt as if she were looking at a stranger, a beautiful young entity who seemed more cruel and worldly than she should. The knowing look in Maria's eye disturbed her. She looked down at the two sandwiches she had made and busied herself with useless garnishes on the plates. "Of course not, Maria," she managed to say, "And as long as Vati behaves appropriately—"

"What do you mean, _appropriately,_ Muti?" Maria's tone was fake-innocent.

Lili had had it. She put both plates on the bed tray and looked at her daughter. "I mean you should start talking to your father with some kindness and gratitude for all he has done for you and not make him feel like you would rather be anywhere but here. And I want you to know this, Maria: if anyone hurts or mistreats you in any way, I will be the first to be at your side to defend you. But if I discover anything you say is false and it hurts the ones I love, I will also be the first to see you suffer the consequences of your actions. Do you understand me?"

For a second, she saw respect, even fear, in Maria's eyes. Then they settled back into their beautiful, inscrutable dark violet. _Austria's eyes, _ Lili realized, and she knew how much he could hide. "Ja, Muti, I understand you." Her tone was meek, the ideal daughter's. "I'll eat in my room. I don't want to disturb your and Vati's _conversation_." She picked up her plate and glided out with a natural athlete's grace.

Lili was tempted to slam the plates on the ground in order to hear the satisfying crash of stoneware. But she remembered that this was her and Gilbert's lunch. She got two beers out and brought the tray into the bedroom. Gilbert winked as she approached. "You were right," she admitted as they ate, "she has grown more irritating." She tore into her sandwich. "Personally, I'd be _glad_ if she didn't want to talk to me."

Gilbert raised an eyebrow; Lili noted how similar Maria's expressions were to his. "So what did she say to you?"

Lili concentrated on her sandwich. "It's not what she says as much as how she says it. The sarcasm!"

To her surprise, Gilbert chuckled. "That's what Friedrich der Groß used to do to drive his father crazy. His words were perfectly acceptable, but his delivery was full of sarcasm and contempt." He grew solemn. "It's only funny when you're not at the receiving end of it."

"Does she do this to you?" Lili demanded, as she set the tray aside.

"Nein," Gilbert sighed. "She talks to me as if she were an English princess talking to a footman. Perfectly polite and indifferent."

Lili paused. "Would you prefer if she were sarcastic to you?"

Gilbert shrugged. "At least I'd know she was pissed at me, that she felt something about me. The coldness and distance is worse."

Lili turned to study him. He looked resigned. "What is the worst thing you imagine doing to her?" she whispered, and when he turned to face her, she regretted her question.

"What do you mean?" Lili tried to look innocent as Gilbert thought of his answer. "I don't know, throwing her out and telling her she can live on her own if she can't stand my presence? Horse-whipping her? Why do you want to know, Lili?"

Lili thought about how to phrase her words. "If you ever feel like you are going to lose your temper or do something you regret, I want you to call or text me _immediately_. I will be here as soon as I can. She is my daughter as much as yours and you shouldn't be alone when you feel like that."

"You think I'm going to do something stupid? Do you know what would happen to me if I even _shook_ her?" Gilbert sounded annoyed. "I'd have Ludwig and every other German state dogpiling me. Believe me, Lili, I can control myself. Besides," he grumbled, "she spends all her time outside or in her room, so it's not like we are in each other's faces all the time." He got up, stretched and got some clothes. "I'm taking a shower," he called over his shoulder.

Lili leaned back against the headboard, wondering if she had made things worse. Her wildest fears were gone, but now she felt bad about letting him know she had ever doubted his ability to behave. She got up and went into the living room, where Maria was watching a movie on the television. Her daughter looked up, her face in neutral."How long are you here for, Muti?"

Lili shrugged and sat down next to her. "The weekend. I may stay through Monday or Tuesday, unless my boss needs me back." She still had another thing to find out, but she was beginning to wonder if she should raise the issue with Gilbert. After all, they had gotten along well enough the past four years without her asking him about his sister. Maybe she shouldn't go looking to borrow trouble.

Gilbert joined them on the couch, and Lili observed him and Maria. He was right; Maria was polite to him, as if he were a distant relative. She didn't detect any sense of fear or anger on her part. When he joked about the movie or brought up other topics of conversation, Maria either ignored him or repeated, "_Jawohl"_ or _"Wirklich"_ as if she were dealing with an annoying uncle whom she couldn't be rude to.1 _Mein Gott_, Lili thought, to go from being an adored Vati to _this_ every night; she began to understand the nature of his loneliness.

She decided they needed a real dinner and went into the kitchen to find some sausages, potatoes and cabbage. Maria sailed into the kitchen as she started to sauté some onions in a skillet. Lili asked if she would like to help, but Maria shook her head as she grabbed an apple and declared she would be in her room until dinner. By the time dinner was ready, Lili had shifted her mind to hostess mode; she would try to engage the others in polite dinner conversation, just as Austria had taught her. Gilbert happily played along, but Maria was like one of those guests who couldn't or wouldn't put any effort into table-talk. When she asked to be excused, Lili was glad to see her go to her room.

She and Gilbert did the dishes, laughing about how they were turning into Austria and Hungary. "Except we're awesomer, of course," he said with a wink. When they went to bed, Gilbert vented some more about Maria's behavior. Lili heard echoes of the past in his frustration. She turned to him.

"Gilbert, if your sister contacted you and said she wanted to be part of the family again, what would you do?"

He looked up at the ceiling before speaking. "First, I'd assume it was an imposter or joke. When Ivan claimed Königsberg, he wiped out her memory and renamed her Kaliningrad. She embraced it fully. So I just wouldn't believe it."

"But what if her memory returned?" Lili persisted. "Let's say her brain recovered from Ivan's operation or she got flashbacks. What if she called you and said she remembered and _she _wanted to apologize to _you _for being so cold all these years?"

Gilbert snorted. "Lili, we'd be better off wondering what I'd do if a Hohenzollern re-emerged and wanted to make me the Kingdom of Prussia again. Or if _schleißlich _Poland proposed marriage to our daughter. She's gone. I'm dead to her."

Lili paused, studying how resigned he looked. "Is she dead to you?"

Gilbert turned to look at her. "Lili, let's say that Vash never forgave you for being with me. Let's pretend that he never spoke to you, never invited you to his homes, never came to yours, and stopped spending holidays at Austria's because you were going to be there. Let's say that the few times you tried contacting him, he was hostile or never responded. And all you ever wanted was to tell him you're sorry and you want him to be back in your life, but he will _never _ accept your apology. Tell me," his voice dropped to a whisper, "would he be dead to you?"

_But I never had a sexual relationship with him, _Lili wanted to retort, yet she stopped to consider the situation. She imagined the pain, frustration and sorrow she would feel, the sense of something unfinished and missing. With time and business, she could shove it out of her head most of the time, but memories, regrets, and wishes would still linger. "Nein," she whispered. "But he'd be a ghost."

Gilbert shrugged. "There it is, Lili." He shifted so he spooned her and she felt his lips plant kisses on her hair and neck. "Let's stay in the present, Lili," he whispered, "because the present is pretty damn awesome, ja?"

Lili nodded, staring off into the dark. Outside the cozy room, ghosts lurked, waiting for the living to let down their defenses, to emerge during moments of weakness and loneliness. She could invite them in or tell them to go away because he was hers now. "Ja," she murmured, kissing the hand that rested on her breast. "It is."

**Well, what do you think of Lili's decision not to bring up Gilbert's past relationship with his sister? Smart or will it eventually cause more damage? And as to Maria, what did you think of that little exchange between her and Lili? Thanks for the reviews so far, faithful readers, and I hope to hear from you. Next week: POLAND!**

1 German: Certainly, Really


	26. Chapter 26 Wake-Up Call

**Chapter26 Wake-Up Call**

**We have some PolLiet, and once again Lithuania proves he is one of the few personifications with common sense in the Hetalia universe.**

"Girl, that latest posting was, like, hilarious!" Poland giggled. It was late at night and Maria was skyping Feliks. It had been a couple of months after that strange visit of Muti's, and Maria was checking her tumblr account for feedback on her latest comic. Since she wrote the comic in Polish, she wasn't surprised to see most of the reblogs and favorites were from Polish-language accounts, but she was startled to see even a few German, Russian, and English names among her followers. She was both flattered and nervous.

"Do they, like, seriously do _that? _Because that's just seriously funny and like _ewwww_." Feliks was shaking his head, bemused.

"_Tak_, well think how I feel! I have to like live with this!" Maria laughed. She had never guessed that her webcomic about life with her parents would actually develop a following beyond Poland and his sisters. But it had, and it seemed a lot of mortals could identify with her exasperation and sense of humor.

"Wait a sec." Feliks said. He turned from the webcam and shrilled, "Liet! Did you feed the dogs? Wait, what do you want?" He bounded up from the computer and disappeared. Maria heard Pomeranians barking and male voices. Then Poland plopped back down in front of the webcam with Lithuaina hovering behind him. "Toris wants to talk to you," he blurted out.

"That's cool," Maria shrugged. Lithuania occasionally peeked in to say hello to her, but he had never asked to speak with her.

Toris took over Feliks's chair as the Polish nation grumbled. He smiled at Maria, his blue-gray eyes anxious. "Maria, Feliks has shown me your tumblr account and your webcomic. It's funny and well-drawn, but you _do _know your father is fluent in Polish_, tak_? Has it ever occurred to you that he might actually read what you're saying about him and your mother?"

For one second, Maria felt a chill seize her spine. Then she shook it off. "He's not going to go looking around for stuff in Polish to read," she said boldly. "And it's not like I'm using real names or anything that he'd search for." She couldn't imagine Vati searching on tumblr for teenage angst in Polish.

"Tak, but your caricatures are pretty obvious. Anyone who knows your father or mother could see the resemblance. And not only your father and Uncle Ludwig know Polish, but other personifications know enough to read it and get it," Toris said. "I mean, I can read it, and I knew right away whom you were talking about."

"_Mój Bóg, _Toris, you only found it because I reposted it! Seriously, who else is going to get it?" Poland protested.

Lithuania turned away from the webcam to stare at Poland. "Come on, Feliks, think about it. Saxony knows Polish and he hates Gilbert. Austria and Hungary both know Polish. _Russia _knows Polish, and so do his sisters! What do you think is going to happen if Ukraine finds this webcomic?"

"Kasia will think it's funny," Feliks mumbled. "And cute. She doesn't get satire very well."

"Exactly! Imagine her going up to Liechtenstein at the next World Meeting and babbling about the cute comic she found on the internet!" When Toris turned back to the webcam, Maria began to realize she hadn't been so clever at hiding her tracks after all. Muti didn't read Polish, but she knew how to track down IPs. And all she needed to do was see one strip and she would know who drew it.

"Uncle Toris, please don't tell my parents, please!" she begged. "They wouldn't get it! It's just a little venting, letting off steam! I thought only Feliks and his sisters would see it, maybe a few Polish teens! I never thought others would find and read it!"

Lithuania looked kindly at her. "I'm not going to tell your parents, Maria. But I am going to suggest you remove these strips, or at the very least, make it private to only a few readers you trust."

"But they're funny! And they're _good!_" Poland protested. "She could make money off publishing a collection or going to comic conventions, or—"

"She doesn't need to do that!" Toris snapped. For the first time, Maria saw the determination behind his usually long-suffering expression. "She's a personification of a German state, she doesn't have to use 'making a living' as an excuse for hurting her parents and making them figures of fun!" He turned back to the webcam and his eyes were a steely gray. "Maria, I'm telling you this as an adult and a nation's personification. These comics will come back to haunt you and your parents. I know you want to rebel and vent, but this is too public a way to do it. I can't make you take them down, but I can strongly suggest that you should."

Maria gradually lowered her eyes under Lithuania's gaze; she recognized he was right, but she didn't want to give up so easily. "I guess I could make it private," she mumbled.

"Maria, you'd be better off keeping an old-fashioned paper journal under your mattress," Toris said. Feliks snorted and Toris glared at him. "At least, only you would see it, and if your father or mother found it, it would only between you. But to publish on the internet, it can go all over the world, and—"

"Liet, you're going to freak her out! There are no tags that her parents would follow!" Feliks exclaimed. "It's not like she's tagging it 'awesome' or 'Prussia' or anything like that!" He stuck his face in front of Lithuania's. "Chickie, do the private listing thingy! My sisters and I will be your first subscribers! And, and charge money for people to view it! That'll take care of the casual viewers and then you can draw really fabulous, like explicit stuff!"

Maria blushed and Toris stared at Feliks in horror. "You want her to draw sex cartoons of _her parents_?! And charge people money to see them? What is wrong with you?" Poland blushed and mumbled that Prussia deserved it, but Maria shook her head.

"I'll stop it and take them down, Lithuania," she muttered. "They'll just be my little secret." Toris nodded, but Feliks rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"You've got talent, chickie," Poland sighed. "I hate to see you, like, shove it under a bushel just because some nations are like pearl-clutchers." He glared at Lithuania, who sniffed and got up. "Liet! Where are you going?" Feliks spun around to follow the other nation.

"I'm going to Latvia's house." Maria heard Toris say. "I have a standing invitation for the game night he and Eduard host, and I need a haircut anyway."1

"But I just made a big pot of _bigos_ for dinner!" Feliks wailed.2 "What am I supposed to do with it?" Maria couldn't hear Toris's answer, but she could tell Feliks wasn't pleased with it when he turned back to the webcam with a scowl.

"Such a worrywart," he grumbled. "And I thought all those years with Russia made _me_ paranoid."

Maria shifted uncomfortably. "Maybe he's right," she said. "They're kind of mad at me now and I don't need to make it worse." She remembered how sharply Muti had spoken to her on her sudden visit and how even Vati had stopped trying so hard to get her to interact with him. It was actually making her nervous and a little friendlier to him. The last thing she needed was his anger at her if he learned about the webcomic.

"Eh, you could do worse than listen to him." Feliks shrugged.

"If I were mortal, I wouldn't have to worry about this."

"Uh, chickie, you would. You'd still like have parents and their friends and enemies and the same privacy issues. So that wouldn't like get you off the hook!"

"They'd just be regular people, not personifications of regions and nations," Maria grumbled. "If a Polish-speaking Russian kid liked my comic about them, big deal. But if _Russia_ reads it, then it's all 'oh noes, what will he say to them at the next World Meeting!' I'm tired of it."

"Chickie, we've been through this before and it gets really old."

Maria paused and turned her head away from the webcam so Poland wouldn't see the tears come to her eyes. "How does a nation become a mortal?" She finally managed to say.

Poland shook his head. "Oh, Maria, _nie_, you don't—"

"How does a nation become a mortal?" She turned back to the webcam, amethyst eyes shimmering with tears and determination. "Maybe I'm just curious."

Poland snorted. "You can't fool me, chickie! Like, I know why you're asking and I'm not gonna tell you! I'm not gonna have you run to Norway or Romania to ask for a spell and—" He slapped a hand over his mouth. "_Oh cholera!"_3Like they wouldn't do it for you anyway, 'cause you're a kid."

"Tak, you're right," Maria said. She filed Feliks's exclamation away into her memory. She checked the time. "I have to stop now and study. I'll probably take down my tumblr account with the comics tomorrow." She hated to admit it, but Lithuania's advice made sense.

"Okay, chickie. Feel better, and get that 'I wanna be a mortal' idea out of your head! Things will get better and someday you'll look back and be glad that you personify Mecklenberg-Vorpommern!" Feliks blew a kiss and waved to the webcam. "_Dobranoc!"_4

Maria said good night and then went offline Skype. She turned to her homework and sighed. Maybe Feliks was right and she would someday appreciate being an entity. But right now, she didn't feel it.

**So what do you imagine Maria's comic looks like or features Prussia and Liechtenstein doing? And how about Lithuania's advice and Poland's objections? Next week we'll have a welcome break for the angst, 'cause there's going to be a party! Thanks for reading!**

1 In my headcanon, Latvia is a talented hairstylist. All the nations go to him for haircuts. This is based on my sister's hairstylist in New York City, a Latvian scissor goddess.

2 Polish national dish, aka "Hunter's Stew." A mess of long-simmered yumminess with sauerkraut, various cuts of fresh and smoked meats, and seasoned with peppercorns and juniper berries. Some recipes include tomatoes, dried mushrooms and/or dried fruit. Usually served with rye bread or mashed potatoes.

3 Polish: Oh crap, hell!

4 Polish: Good night


	27. Chapter 27 Party!

**Chapter 27 Party!**

**Warning: Very long chapter, but hopefully it will be fun and exciting enough to be worth it. Many readers' favorite nations will make guest appearances. So settle back and enjoy!**

To Lili and Gilbert's relief, Maria passed the Abitur and received her certificate at the awards ceremony. The mortal teachers made speeches, the school band played, and there were refreshments. Gilbert had invited Ludwig, since he had been so keen on Maria taking the Abitur. Gilbert had been happy to hear that Maria had been active in the pranks planned during the _Abistreich;_1 her class had come up with the idea of turning the school into a zombie apocalypse, and she had been in charge of designing zombie makeup and costumes because of her artistic skills.

He was also secretly pleased that she had no interest in attending the Abiball. Maria had learned from her experience that while it was useful to get along with mortals, they would not be her source for friends and romantic interests. It also didn't help that Maria's school was filled with many wealthy mortals who had talked about renting out a club for the dance and requiring a dress code. Lili was a little disappointed that they wouldn't go shopping for dresses, but Gilbert only had to mutter "Gesamtschule" and she blushed.

Instead of celebrating with her classmates, Maria agreed to a beach party in her state with the personifications of German states and some nations. Lili liked Hiddensee, "that sweet little isle" with its ban on cars and twentieth-century artists' colonies, but Gilbert and Maria opted for the island of Rügen with an open-air performance of a play about the German pirate Störtebecker. There would be plenty of hotels and guest houses available for personifications, as well as open sandy beaches for swimming, sunning and cooking out. "It's going to be awesome!" Gilbert exclaimed, and he was happy to see his daughter smile as she nodded.

The one thing that wasn't awesome was the expanding guest list. Of course, every German state needed to be invited. And if Ludwig was going to be there, then Northern Italy needed an invitation also. And that meant, Feli's brother, Southern Italy, also needed to be invited. But Lovino would still be coming anyway, since Spain would insist on it. And speaking of Spain, Antonio was still seeing Belgium, so she needed an invitation also. Gilbert liked the Netherlands, but Tim and Bella were feuding with each other, so he reluctantly crossed him off the list. France would have to come too, of course, and that also meant Monaco, because she was friends with Lili. Gilbert also didn't want to snub the small nation that was the home of the Bielschmidt Blood Bank and sponsor of the personifications' annual blood drive. And if the Bad Touch Trio were going to be there, then the Epic Fail Brothers, Denmark and England, needed to be invited also. And if _they_ were going to be there, then the United States needed an invitation because Arthur would insist on it, and Gilbert and Matthias needed Alfred F. Jones to make up the Awesome Trio. Gilbert drew the line at inviting Norway, however; Lukas still held a grudge against Lili for stabbing Belarus in Monte Carlo.

And then there were the nations Lili wanted to invite. Vash would be there, of course, and that meant the state of Colorado would come with Alfred. Austria and Hungary were also no-brainers. .And if Lili wanted to invite China because she was studying tai chi with him and he had trained Gilbert to win his bid to represent Eastern Germany, then Gilbert was fine with that, but that also meant inviting _his_ friend, Japan. Lili was also friends with Ukraine, so they would invite her. And of course, that meant Poland, which meant Lithuania.

Gilbert ran his hands through his hair as they looked at the list. "_Mein Gott,_ this is getting out of hand," he grumbled. "Do we have to invite the other Baltics? I mean, seriously, is she going to have much to do with Ravis and Eduard?"

Lili paused in her typing. "It would be nice, but it _is _getting rather large, and she doesn't really know them," she sighed. "Should we invite Canada? You were involved with him once, and he is related to the United States, England, and France."

Gilbert shrugged. "You could, but then you're going to have Ukraine _and_ China making a scene because of how he dumped Russia for South Korea." He shuddered. "And we are _not_ inviting Ivan!"

"Or Belarus," Lili said primly. She automatically rubbed the arm where a pale line marked the entry and exit points of Natalya's knife. She scanned the list and frowned. "I just realized something," she said. "These are all relatives and friends of _ours_, not Maria's. We need to ask if she'd like to invite any of her classmates."

"I did and she didn't want to. She thought it would be too weird for most of them." Gilbert bit his thumbnail. "Besides," he mused, "she says most of her favorite mortal friends are from the internet and they're scattered all over the world." He turned to Lili, an idea dawning. "She mentioned she corresponded a lot with a couple of girls from the United States. And there was a guy, a really talented artist from Argentina."

"Well, we're inviting him then!" Lili exclaimed, getting Gilbert's drift. "Did she mention anyone else?"

"We'll have to invite South Korea, because she's friendly with a couple of his mortals." Gilbert thought it would make be awesome to surprise Maria with her mortal online friends, but Lili warned him that surprises can backfire. So they finally decided to ask her about it. Maria listened to their offer and said, "Ja, that would be really fun!" She gave them the list of friends she wanted to invite and Lili began working on invitations to them and notifying their nations about making arrangements to bring the young mortals.

The day of the party was warm and sunny. Gilbert, Ludwig and Bavaria set up kegs of beer, as Lili made sure there was plenty of ice for the coolers of _Würste _and potato salad Thuringia had brought. Saxony-Anhalt started the fire for grilling the sausages, while Vash critiqued him. Maria waved as Austria and Hungary came with the cake Roderich had baked.

As more guests arrived, Gilbert beamed at Maria's good manners. She greeted each nation warmly, thanking them for the gifts they brought and urging them to have a beer or bottled water. Such a difference, Gilbert thought, from the sullen sixteen-year old who preferred her room to his company. Now she strode gracefully through the sand, bringing Spain, Belgium and Southern Italy over to chat with Lili. Gilbert went up to greet his friend.

"¡Hola, Gilbert!" Antonio waved as he offered a large salad bowl to him to put under a sun umbrella. "Lovino and I brought tomato salad."  
"'Cause you potato bastards need _real_ vegetables," Lovino grumbled. Maria laughed and Southern Italy looked longingly at her. "A cute child and now a beautiful woman," he sighed as he turned to Gilbert. "Has France seen her yet?"

"Not since she wore braids," Gilbert replied. As he noted Lovino's appreciative glances at Maria while she chatted with Belgium and Liechtenstein, he began to realize what kind of hornet's nest the party could become. His daughter _was _lovely, and now she was of an age where she could be considered an adult, free to make her own choices in elections, housing, and sexual partners. _Sexual partners!_

"_Bonjour mes amies_!" Gilbert turned, his heart sinking. France, Monaco, and Seychelles walked up, exchanging greetings with the other nations. Francis Bonnefoy handed Lili a bottle of wine and kissed Maria's hand. Gilbert watched his daughter giggle a little. He set his jaw and strode over.

"Well, well, well, Francis, Monique, Michelle!" He exclaimed. "You all look awesome! And now you can see what an awesome place the Baltic coast is. Maria," he called to his daughter, "why don't you take Monaco and Seychelles down to check out the water? Show them we can rival the Mediterranean!" To his relief, Maria and the female nations obliged, shedding their coverups and running to the waves. To his great annoyance, France's eyes followed his daughter's lithe form.

"_Pas mal, mon ami, pas mal_," France murmured. He turned to Gilbert and winked. "No wonder you wouldn't show me vacation pictures."

"Calm yourself," Gilbert growled. "This is her graduation party, not a deflowering ceremony." He jerked his head towards Southern Italy, who was shedding his shirt and revealing a slight but toned body. "You have competition, not to mention a father and uncles who will use you for target practice." He nudged Francis to see Vash stalking over the sand drifts towards Lili, Belgium and Spain.

Francis made a little moue with his mouth, flipped his beach-waved golden hair and was about to make a retort, when someone yelled in English, "Hey, hey, dudes look who's here, and I brought something better than sausages! Am I the hero or what?" Both nations turned and saw the United States bounding down the dunes, a few young women and men behind them. "So where's the guest of honor? She's got some friends who want to party with her!" Alfred F. Jones just grinned as if he had brought the sun out on a cloudy day.

"_Mon Dieu," _France grumbled, "_cet idiot_ makes me want to go back to smoking and quoting Camus." Gilbert shrugged and headed over to shake America's hand. "Great job, Al!" He leaned in closer. "I'd almost say that you're awesome!" The two nations laughed, while the young mortals stared or giggled nervously. Gilbert turned to the group. "I'm Maria's father, and she's already in the waves over there." He gestured for them to follow him and as he called Maria's name, he couldn't help grinning when he saw her dash up to her mortal friends. The cluster of teens greeted each other as if they had all met before, chatting away in English. Gilbert had to hide his smirk when a couple of American girls tried to congratulate Maria in poor German. Oh well, he thought as he turned to leave the young people, at least the poor kids tried.

France almost bumped into Gilbert's face. "_Ces jeunes americains sont trés charmants, non?"_2He squinted and leered, following one curvaceous young woman in particular. _At least he's not checking out Maria anymore, _Gilbert told himself. He watched England grumble up to the United States. Arthur Kirkland had been stuck carrying a cooler and bag of towels and he was not happy. But then Denmark scampered up, took England's burden, and strode over to Gilbert.

"_Hej ven_, great weather, ja?" Matthias grinned broadly as he started to strip off his shirt. "Alfred and Arthur insisted on bringing some of their own brews and snacks, and I'm not going to complain!" Denmark scanned the horizon, where he saw the young people chatting and dipping into the waves. "I haven't seen Maria in a dog's age; which one is she?" Matthias turned and smiled at Gilbert, bright blue eyes complimented by his golden hair and tan.

_Scheiße, he looks like a verdammt god,_ Gilbert thought. "She's down there," He muttered, "in the green two piece. But don't-." Too late. Denmark had bolted down to the water like an excited retriever, claiming Maria for his partner in a game of chicken. When the United States heard that, he yelled, "wait for me, Awesome Bro!" and left a scowling England with a hand full of sunscreen.

Arthur Kirkland turned to Gilbert. "He'll be a bloody lobster within two hours and I'll have to hear his whinging all night long." He stepped up to study Gilbert's face. "I think you need—"

"Nein, I'm fine." Gilbert retreated to the canopy where the German entities and beer were. At least, he thought as he helped himself to a _Weißbier_, no one here was looking at his daughter like a potential conquest. Nein, she had been like a little niece to all of them and soon she would be a future coworker, and it wasn't always a good idea to mix business with pleasure.

"I might go down to say '_hej' to Far_ and check her out."3 Gilbert froze as he heard the German with the slight Danish accent. He edged about and saw Holstein talking with Saxony-Anhalt. He waited to hear Günther scold the other personification, but instead Saxony-Anhalt chuckled and said, "She is a cutie, isn't she? I might have to visit Gisil while she's apprenticing with him."

Gilbert had had it. He turned and made his presence known to the younger male entities. "Ja, I'm sure Maria would love to see her _Onkel _Günther while she's in Saxony. You could have a nice chat about all those cute video games you used to make for her, ja?" He was pleased to see Saxony-Anhalt blush and Holstein duck away. _Gut,_ he thought as he stalked over to the grill for a sausage, at least they knew he was onto them. It was a relief to see Thuringia fussing with Ludwig over the right way to detect the sausages' doneness. Here were at least two personifications, Gilbert thought, who loved his girl without any designs on her.

"Is Maria enjoying herself so far?" Thuringia asked as she placed a sausage in a roll for Gilbert.

"Danke, Magda." Ever since Maria's first disastrous Christmas, Gilbert had made a point of being kinder to Thuringia. He clinked beer bottles with her. "I think so, she's certainly getting a lot of attention." He looked significantly at Ludwig, who was too busy fending off Northern Italy's offer of fresh Italian sausages.

"Gisil will take good care of her," Thuringia replied. "He will keep the predators at bay and talk to her about what personifications have to consider when they get into relationships."

Gilbert wanted to retort that Maria was legally an adult and she didn't need to be kept in a convent, but Lili, Vash and the American state of Colorado came over to get something to eat. Gilbert excused himself to go with them to sit down in the wicker beach basket chairs Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's resorts were famous for. It was nice to get into the shade with Lili next to him and Vash and his girlfiend sprawled on a beach blanket. France and Spain were playing volleyball with a mix of nations and mortals, while South Korea and Japan were setting up a solar-powered DJ booth. He watched Maria ride Denmark's shoulders in a spirited game of chicken against the United States and one of his mortals. He thought about what he had almost said to Thuringia and rationally, it made sense, but his heart just clenched at the thought of his little girl getting taken by any of the entities he had known over the centuries.

"What is it, _Schatz?"_ Lili whispered as she nudged him.

Gilbert checked Vash and Melinda; they were too busy talking and looking out at the water to overhear him. "Every male entity is checking her out," he grumbled. "I wanted her to have fun with people her age, not to advertise fresh meat to the nations and states." He thought about the day turning to night, the pulsing music, the beer consumption, the cover of dark and his hands curled into fists. "I swear, if anyone tries to take advantage of her, I'll—"

"They won't do it here," Lili said. She turned to him, her green eyes confident. "They know if they make a move on her and she doesn't want it, you and Ludwig and Vash will be on them! Everyone will be on their best behavior—"

"That's what I'm afraid of," Gilbert grumbled. "France will be complimentary and attentive, Romano will sing to her, the United States will fetch her drinks and snacks and tell her which celebrity she resembles. _Denmark_ is out there, being a strong, fun-loving merman, and she hasn't even met South Korea or Argentina yet." The thoughts of unattached male nations hovering around his daughter made him rub his face. "_Mein Gott_, even Holstein and Saxony-Anhalt were talking about chatting her up and she's called them _Onkeln_ since she could talk!"

When Lili looked at him, something hard and dark entered her eyes. Gilbert drew back, puzzled. "I mean, maybe I'm being old-fashioned, I'm no prude, but she's our _Kind_ and I'm just not used to feeling this way. Lili, doesn't this bother you?" He scanned her face, trying to understand her expression.

"Ja, it does bother me." She said softly. Lili got up, put on her sunglasses and turned to Gilbert. "Maria's not just some passive lump who can't act and choose for herself, Gilbert. Remember that." She called to Colorado to go to the public restrooms and showers with her and the American state happily obliged. Gilbert stared after the two female personifications, wondering what had gone wrong. _Scheiße,_ he thought to himself, the awesome carefree celebration was turning into a mess.

He heard a low chuckle and saw Switzerland grinning at him. "Welcome to my world," Vash said. He offered his beer bottle to clink and for a second, Gilbert wanted to throw his in the other nation's face. But then he thought about how Vash had guarded Lili, how vigilant he had been to protect his adopted sister from predatory males, and he started to laugh. _Mein Gott_, of all the nations who would understand him at this point! He clinked bottles with Vash and settled back to watch his daughter frolic.

* * *

The sun traveled east, casting long shadows over the tide. Someone had started a small bonfire, and sparks floated along the ocean breeze. South Korea had changed from K-Pop to more European techno and American hip-hop. Nations and mortals mingled, either dancing, finishing up the food and drink, or zoning out to the fire's flames.

Maria had excused herself from her mortal friends and walked along the beach towards a jetty of rocks. She was glad they were all getting along, but she had started to feel overwhelmed by them. It wasn't just the death-smell Vati had warned her about, but people who had been fun and interesting to communicate with individually online seemed very different in a group and in person. Somehow, they seemed both younger and older than she; the Americans, especially, seemed very coddled, and yet they also spoke enthusiastically about which colleges they wanted to attend and what careers they wanted to pursue. That was why she needed to step away, she realized. If they started to ask her about her plans, what was she going to say to them? _I'm training with my uncle to represent my state. Nein, I'm not running to be a state representative; I _am_ the state._ She had had too much beer and sun to come up with a plausible lie and she certainly couldn't tell the mortals the truth.

Maria saw three male figures sitting on the jetty, talking. The setting sun cast their faces in shade, but as she got closer, she recognized two voices and grinned and waved. Poland stood up, waving frantically for her to join Lithuania and the third male. As she got closer, she grew intrigued. The other nation was France, and he smiled as he placed his shirt down for her to sit upon the rocks.

"_Wuj Feliks_!" She laughed as she joined them. Poland and Lithuania hugged her, and France stood up and shook her hand. He smiled expectantly at her and Feliks nudged her. "He like wants to greet you properly, just a cheek kiss," he whispered.

"_Alors_, I don't want to impose," France murmured. "_C'est le choix des femmes._"4

Oh why not, Maria thought. She leaned in and Francis Bonnefoy pecked each cheek. She felt the slight stubble brush her skin and smelled lavender, jasmine and something warm and musky. _Nice._ She settled down next to Poland as France sat across from her, his long golden hair whipping across his handsome face in the breeze.

"Are you enjoying the party?" She asked. She had been too busy with her mortal friends to spend a great deal of time beyond greeting the nations. Poland and Lithuania had arrived with Saxony, and she had caught glimpses of them chatting with Austria and Hungary. France had been playing volleyball and splashing in the water with his sisters and one American girl in particular. Earlier, Maria and her mortal friends had teased Ashley that she would probably hook up with the handsome Frenchman. But now, as Maria studied France, she didn't think that would be such a good idea.

"It's a lot more fun now that I'm catching up with you!" Poland exclaimed. Maria recalled how shy he could be and she felt bad that she hadn't spent more time talking with him. "So tell me, chickie," Feliks continued, "any of those mortal boys catch your eye?"

"Pablo is cute," Maria admitted, recalling the Argentinean mortal. "But I think he's more interested in one of my Korean friends."

France shrugged. "It's ideal for mortals to be with mortals. And it might go nowhere beyond a night's flirtation. Not that there's anything wrong with that, non?" He shaded his eyes with his hands, so Maria could see how blue they were. "Sometimes the loveliest memories are of a moment that might have been rather than what actually was."

Maria thought a little, studying France's little smile. He looked sad, rather than cynical or seductive. "That's deep," she finally said.

"I have had many experiences." France shrugged, his eyes still on Maria's. "They all have some meaning."

"Watch yourself, _Francuz_," Poland warned.5 He took pack of cigarettes and a lighter out of his shirt pocket. "Just because you're friends with her dad doesn't mean you can make a play at her."

France looked hurt. "I was just talking. It's a pleasure to discover such a young mind willing to explore ideas. So many young people these days only want to talk about jobs, things to buy, money to make and spend." He shrugged, took one of Poland's cigarettes and lit it. "So few want to sit still and have an intelligent conversation."

"Young people talk about jobs and money, because they're like scarce," Feliks grumbled. Lithuania nodded sympathetically. "You don't know how it kills me to see like my mortals head out to other countries to do donkey work. And you'd think those nations would appreciate how hard my kids work, but no! They all make jokes about Poles being like thieves."

Toris raised an eyebrow. "Feliks, you have to admit that the car stuff is true." Maria blushed as she recalled all the Polish car thief jokes her schoolfriends told.

"I don't steal cars," Poland said loftily. "I _rescue_ them. Some fat, complacent German, like, abandons a perfectly decent Mercedes or BMW. I take it in, clean it up, make it look fabulous and find it a nice new home."

"Honhonhon," France chuckled. "I never heard it put that way before, non?" He winked at Maria and she laughed also, surprising herself with the strange, high-pitched giggle that came out of her mouth. That was strange; she never sounded like that before. She shut her mouth, and when Poland raised an eyebrow at her, she started giggling even harder. _I must have had too much to drink_, she thought.

"Liet, go get us some beer and snacks." Poland said. Toris looked askance at him. Poland glared back. France looked over at Maria, as if to say, _strange dynamic, non?_ She nodded and felt pleased, as if she were sharing a secret with a wise friend.

"Fine," Feliks sighed. "Toris, would you be a gentleman to our lady guest here and fetch us a round of beer and some bread or sausage, _proszę?"_6Lithuania kept staring at him. Poland put on his most winning smile and said, "_Prašom padaryti tai mums?"_7Toris thawed a little and got up. "I'll see what food I can find," he said and headed back to the canopies, beach chairs and bonfire.

"Since when did Lithuanian become the language of love?" France chuckled. Maria felt as if the two male nations had forgotten about her. She was content, however, to sit still and listen. A conversation with Poland always revealed some interesting story about the nations.

Poland rolled his eyes. "Since his latest attempt to win back Belarus failed. Ever since Canada dumped Russia's fat ass, Natalya is back in 'marry me, brother!' mode. It's enough Ukraine and I can do to keep him from sulking in the woods all day." Feliks leaned forward and his voice dropped to a whisper. "It's like she's had a spell cast over her ever since the Soviet days. She forgets how close she and Toris had been, and all she does is run after Ivan and he's like terrified of her."

"Well, that's what he gets for messing around with all those experiments and operations, non?" This time, France's shrug seemed indifferent instead of light-hearted; Maria had never seen any other nation with such subtle body language. She watched, fascinated.

"That's what I say. It's odd," Feliks mused. "It's like the electroshock and other experiments messed up the female minds more than the males'. I mean, I like forgot some stuff, but then it started to come back. But Belarus, Kaliningrad—"

"Shhh!" France hissed, nodding his head towards Maria.

"It's all right, Monsieur France," she said. "I know what happened to my aunt. _Wuj _Feliks told me." She grew braver. "I know you two behaved honorably towards her."

France smiled thoughtfully at her and then turned to the blushing Poland. "_C'est bon._ Now how did you get such a lovely niece, _Pologne_? And Prussia's _fille_, of all people!"

"It's like a long, crazy story," Poland began, and Maria perked up. She remembered the Easter weekend they had met and bonded. She was eager to help him tell it, when Lithuania came back to them, empty-handed.

"Francis, Seychelles got into a quarrel with England, and she really wants you right now," Toris panted. In the final blaze of violet and orange sunset, Maria could not make out his expression.

France waved his hand dismissively. "Tell her to come sit with us," he replied. "Feliks is going to tell how he and Maria became so close."

"You need to go to her. _Right now!"_ Lithuania said firmly. France paused, studying the poorer nation's agitated stance. Finally, he got up, nodding regretfully towards Maria. She wondered why Seychelles couldn't come sit with them; she liked the bubbly, ocean-loving island.

"_Ma petite soeur_ needs me," he said. "So I must hear this lovely story another time, non?" He gently took Maria's hand and squeezed it. Even in the receding light, she could see fondness in his eyes. "Maria, someday, you must come visit me. It is strange that I am such good friends with your father, yet I lack such a lovely niece. Maybe—"

"SEYCHELLES NEEDS YOU NOW!" The other entities startled at Lithuania's voice. France bolted up and ran off with him.

"Liet! You forgot the beers and snacks!" Poland cried after them. He turned to Maria, exasperated. "Like, I don't know what to do with him sometimes." He lit another cigarette. "But tell me, chickie, how are you feeling about going to study under Saxony? Are you like excited? Nervous?"

At last, Maria thought, she could finally talk about something important. "I'm resigned," she said.

Feliks exhaled, waving the cigarette smoke away from her. Maria studied how the lit tip floated about in the gray twilight. "Chickie, that doesn't sound good," he sighed. "Really, it's not as bad as you think. And Gisil's really smart and respectful of boundaries, unlike some of the horny bastards around here."

"That doesn't bother me. I trust Onkel Gisil." Maria looked out toward the horizon, where the last shades of violet shifted into gray. "I'll give it a year, and then…" she trailed off.

"And then you'll go to university? Try an apprenticeship with another state? What?"

"I don't know. Maybe say I want to work at a regular job for a bit, make some money, and think about paying a nation to cast a mortality spell on me." There, she had finally said what she had been thinking about ever since she had passed the Abitur.

"Are you serious? You can't be! You do that and there's no turning back, Maria." Poland put out his cigarette and grasped Maria's wrists. It amazed her how strong such a delicate-looking man could be. "You'll break your parents' hearts. And you know this is serious, when I worry about your _father's _heart, of all nations."

"I know, but if I can't stand being an entity, I can't. That's being miserable for as long as there's my state and a Germany." Maria's eyes filled with tears. Great, this was supposed to be her big, happy party and she was crying instead. But it actually felt good, to speak her thoughts and have a friend listen to her. "I'd rather live only sixty or seventy more years where I want, doing what I want than something that bores me senseless. And if they love me, they'll come to understand and forgive me."

"Your mother might. But your father will be, like, devastated. And believe me, chickie, he doesn't handle devastation very well. You'd end up alone."

"I know," Maria whispered. That was the worst part of her plan. She looked down, watching Poland study her hands. Maria could feel a strange energy pass from his delicate fingers to the veins in her wrists. When he looked up at her, she could see a fierce glow to his pale green eyes.

"Come to Poland," he said. His voice was firmer and deeper than she had ever heard. "If you finally decide to go through with this crazy plan of yours, then come to Poland and become one of my mortals. You'll get a free education at any university you want. I'll pull whatever strings I can with my bosses and business leaders to help you get a great job. You can live in any of my cities and I'll find the best men—or women, if that's your thing- for you to choose from. You won't have to do this alone, without anyone to look after you."

Maria stared at the nation she had called her uncle and friend. Even in the dark, she could detect a change in him. He was still fine-featured, but there was a strength to his brow and jaw she had never noticed before. She leaned closer. "Really?"

"Tak," Feliks said. "I don't get why you want to do this, but if it makes you happy, then I'll help you." Maria started to laugh in relief, as her tears started to roll down her cheeks. "Ah, don't cry, _kochanie_."8 Poland wiped at her tears with his thumb. "You've got your fallback plan now. But give your time with Saxony a fair shot, _tak_? You might surprise yourself with how you do as a state." He smiled, and suddenly Maria felt like she was looking at the Poland who loved gossip and fashionable clothes again.

"Thank you," she whispered, "thank you so much." She felt better about her apprenticeship now that she knew she had a way out. When Feliks smiled at her, she felt safe, but she wished the fierce gaze and deep voice would return.

"SSSSt." Feliks suddenly hissed. A male figure was racing towards the jetty. They couldn't make out either of his features, but Maria quickly pulled away from Poland.

To her relief, it was Lithuania, carrying a couple of beers and rolls. He caught his breath and then gasped, "Maria, your father's looking for you. You better go back to the group."

She nodded and sprang up. "I will. Thanks for telling me." She was glad that Vati had not found her talking so closely with his old enemy. If he had been so angry at that Easter six years ago in Austria's house, imagine what he would have done if he had overheard their latest conversation. She nodded to the two male nations and jogged through the sand to the crowd, lights and music.

She found Vati on the outskirts of the party, looking for her. Maria walked over to her father and as her eyes adjusted to the night, she could see he looked worried, but not angry.

"Your mortal guests are looking for you," he said. "They want to check out the nightclubs in town. You should be a good hostess and go with them."

Maria smiled, relieved. "Sure, Vati!" They walked back to the mortals clustered around the fire.

* * *

Toris watched his friend's gaze follow Maria's slender figure. He offered him a beer. "What's up with you?"

Feliks turned to him and there was a strange excitement in his eyes. "Toris, I have, like, the best idea ever!"

Lithuania didn't even hide his dismay. Whenever his friend said that, it meant some crazy, improbable plan. "What?"

Poland grinned. "Remember what Gilbert did to my sister?" Lithuania started to shake his head and protest, but Feliks held up a warning finger. "I'm gonna go one better! I'm going to make his daughter fall in love with and marry me!"

Toris felt as if he had been pushed off a cliff into a dizzying world of nonsense. "You can't do that! That's insane, Feliks! Gilbert apologized to Gdańsk, that's history!" He pleaded. "Don't punish his daughter to get back at him for the past!"

"What? Being my wife is a form of punishment?" Feliks said haughtily. "Nie, Toris, this will _heal _the past. Like true love, honorable intent and unity and all that. Gisil will help me, and even Ludwig will see it's a good thing for us. And if causes _że diabeł pruski_ to tear his hair out and _finally_ drop dead from shock, that's even better!" He took a sip of beer and bite of roll. "Imagine what a fabulous wedding it'll be," he mused. "Elenka will insist that it be held in her cathedral, and—"

"What about Ekaterina? What about _me?"_ Toris couldn't stop staring at his dearest friend's face.

Poland shrugged. "We'll still be friends. You'll be free to pursue Natalya, and Kasia's always known her place." He smiled dreamily again. "She'll stop crying long enough to make plenty of _pierogi_ for the reception. The Czeck Republic and Slovakia will bring the beer and music. And Elizabeta will be thrilled! I'll ask her to sing and maybe we can get Austria to be the organist!" As he chattered away, Lithuania gazed out at the sea, noting how the waves shimmered in the moonlight. At best, this was just a fantasy his friend would drop for the next appealing one. At worst, it really was one of the most disastrous ideas he had ever imagined.

**Sorry I didn't update earlier, but some other work got in the way. So, what do you think of Maria's plan? Poland's? I hope you enjoyed this; if so, let me know!**

1 Abistreich is the graduating students' prank played on the whole school. German students get more into this than the Abiball (graduating class dance, usually a more low key affair than an American prom).

2 French: those young Americans are very charming, non?

3 Danish: Hello or hi, Father or Dad. In my head canon, Holstein and Schleswig see Denmark as their father.

4 French: that's the women's choice

5 Polish: Frenchman

6 Polish: please

7 Lithuanian: Please do this for us?

8 Polish: darling, sweetheart


	28. Chapter 28 The Apprentice

**Chapter 28 The Apprentice**

As Vati drove her down into the state of Saxony, Maria studied the landscape. They had been through here before, on their way to Liechtenstein, but now she paid special attention. She would spend most of the next two years here, so she wanted to know the place. The lush green hills and blue mountains impressed her. When they stopped in towns for snacks, gas and bathroom breaks, she admired the quaint old houses, modern office complexes and imposing Gothic churches. _Mein Gott, _she thought her own state had majestic woods and Potsdam had impressive buildings, but Saxony was charming. Vati admitted that Dresden was lovely, even after the American bombings had damaged and destroyed so many buildings. "It's what people think of when they think of Germany," he muttered, and she almost felt sorry for him.

Onkel Gisil greeted her warmly when they arrived at his home in Dresden. He was polite to Vati but she could see there was no love lost between the two personifications. They brought her suitcases up to the room that she would live in during her apprenticeship. The whitewashed plaster walls, timbered ceilings and wavy glass windows told her this was an ancient building. An iron-frame bed and ornately carved wood furniture made her feel at home; it was as if she felt truly _German_ for the first time in her existence. She and Vati had always lived in post-World War II era buildings and they had been functional but anonymous. When Maria dropped off her last bag off in her room, she went downstairs where Vati and Onkel Gisil chatted stiffly over a cup of coffee.

"Your father plans to head back to Potsdam today," Saxony said to her. "I thought he might need the caffeine." Vati nodded, looking uncomfortable among the antique furniture, cuckoo clocks and shelves of china plates and figurines. His odd coloring and sharp, fine features contrasted with Saxony's golden hair and skin, and stolid, muscular frame.

"I've got to hit the road, _Spatzchen_," Vati finally said. He put his cup down and turned to Maria. She realized this would be the first time in her existence that they would be separated for more than a week. Suddenly, she felt a rush of love towards her father that she had not felt in years. Her handsome, clever Vati, he of the strange laugh and fierce tenderness, was not going to be there to greet her in the morning with amusing news. He would not roast a chicken and vegetables for their dinner or tell her stories of Old Fritz or Onkel Ludi as a boy. She ignored Saxony's presence and ran to her father, wrapping her arms around him. When she smelled his familiar scent of gunpowder, Spanish leather, earth and musk, she began to tear up.

"_Ich liebe dich, Vati," _she murmured. She felt terrible for those years she had avoided and mocked him. He had done his best, she realized, and from the way he looked at her, she knew he was proud of her.

"Ach, Liebling, it's not the end of the world," he laughed and wiped his eyes. "You'll come back to Potsdam in three months, just in time for the holidays. And now you're closer to Muti than you've ever been. Surely she can come up or you can visit her for a weekend, ja?" They looked hopefully at Saxony, who shrugged and nodded. "But I've got to go if I want to get back at a decent hour. Pay attention to Onkel Gisil; he knows his stuff. And remember this, Maria," his voice dropped to a whisper. "Ich liebe dich, and I've only meant that to a few entities in this world. You're at the top of the list." As he turned, Maria's heart stopped. Vati's eyes were the same deep purple she had glimpsed when he had gazed at Muti. She smiled bravely and waved as he left.

When he shut the door behind him, Maria turned to face Onkel Gisil. His eyes were as inscrutable as Onkel Ludi's and the eyeglasses worked as a further shield. He smiled kindly at her. "It's a rare bird that can make Gilbert Bielschmidt look that way," he admitted. He picked up the coffeepot and looked meaningfully at her. "Let's begin with your first assignment as an intern. You need to learn how to make a decent pot of coffee." Maria smiled and followed him into the kitchen.

The first quarter of Maria's apprenticeship went well. Saxony was everything her relatives had said: firm, fair, and eager to have her learn more than how to make good coffee and transcribe notes. He assigned her readings in the history of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, German history and law. She had weekly reports due on some aspect of her state, whether the geography, economy or voting patterns. It required research and time, but she learned where to find the official information and which of her mortals to contact for particular information. Onkel Gisil had her read her reports to him and he would ask her questions that she was expected to answer extemporaneously. She realized she had to become so familiar with certain aspects of her state, that she began studying beyond what he expected.

She also began to realize certain things about herself and her relationship to her state. She loved it, but especially the landscape and wildlife. Even Saxony commented that she became more lively when she discussed the species of flora and fauna in her woods or the sea creatures off the coast. "If we were still pagans," he noted one evening, "I would definitely see your calling is an acolyte of the goddess Ostara.1 Your love for the land and its creatures is strong." Maria confided her disastrous experience with mortals in Gesamtschule, and to her relief, Saxony nodded sympathetically. "Mortals can be cruel and thoughtless towards us even when they know who we are," he said. "But when they think you are the same as they…" he shook his head. Maria told him what Vati had wanted her to do, and Saxony snorted. "That only works if you are like him and you have the inner confidence to pull it off," he retorted. "Mortals and nations can tell when you are acting a role. Now if you had asked _me _what to do, I would have advised this," and his plan made such good sense, that Maria wished she had contacted him when the whole terrible year had happened.

Muti visited once a month and Maria was proud to show her around Dresden. Even if she could tell that Saxony disliked Vati, she could see him warm up to her mother. She was amused when they traded baking tips. Saxony had a piano and sometimes Muti would play it while he accompanied her on the violin. Handel and Bach were favorites and Maria wished desperately that she had some musical skill so she could join in or at least appreciate it.

Her first break was for the whole month of December. Maria went to the Christmas markets in Dresden and Liepzig to find presents for her parents, Onkeln Ludwig, Gisil, and Vash. She even found an ornament that she wanted to send to Poland. When she told Saxony she wanted to send a gift to the nation, she was relieved that he was pleased rather than simply tolerant. "Do you know about my past with Poland?" He asked one evening over dinner.

"Historically, you were in personal union with him through most of the eighteenth century," Maria recalled. "Some Polish mortals call that the 'Saxon twilight.'"

"Better a Saxon twilight than a Prussian night," Onkel Gisil said. He had a collection of magnificently carved pipes, and he liked to smoke with his coffee after dinner. "I liked Poland and wanted to keep him a kingdom. He wanted to side with the West and I would have helped him with that against Russia. But other nations were better warriors than I was." He gazed meaningfully at Maria. "I'm going to tell you something your Vati would prefer you didn't know." He leaned towards her. "Shortly after the establishment of East Germany, the mortals decided to kill me and some other German entities off as they redesigned the districts. Your father was supposed to hunt me, your Tante Magda, and Onkel Günther—who was just a lad at that time, mind you—down and kill us. Magda and Günther got over the border and Bavaria took them in. But do you know who protected me from 1952 to 1989?" Maria shook her head, even though she would have bet money on the answer. "Poland and his sister, Krakow. Gdansk would have done it also, but I never needed to travel that far." Saxony chuckled and looked off into the wall of clocks and china. "Imagine your father's face when we emerged and walked into West Berlin to greet Ludwig!" He turned to face her, eyeglasses distorting the light as it danced against the lenses. "He will tell anyone that he didn't look that hard on purpose, but I say that he will say anything to protect his reputation as a successful spy and warrior."

Three months ago, Maria might have defended her father to her uncle. But now she had learned enough to realize that Vati was not perfect. So she simply nodded and said, "Well, no one is unbeatable, Onkel Gisil. History shows us that."

"Ja," Saxony admitted. He sighed and shifted himself. "Now how about wrapping those presents so that's one less thing to do when you get back to Potsdam?"

December was a welcome change of pace. Vati made her pancakes every morning and Muti spent Christmas day with them instead of going to Austria. They skyped with Switzerland, who had flown out to spend the holidays with Colorado. He sent them video of him skiing in the Rockies, and Muti sighed with envy.

"What powder, what grooming!" she murmured. When Vash sent them a video clip of him and Colorado on a dogsled and American cowboys cooking and singing around a campfire, Muti clapped with delight. "Ach, we must go there some day!" Maria stared at her father and they burst into laughter.

After New Year's (celebrated in Potsdam with fireworks, concerts and champagne), Maria returned to Dresden. She was startled to see Poland and another female her age in Saxony's parlor.

"Maria, this is Barbara, and she is going to apprentice to me as one of Poland's voivodeships."2Onkel Gisil explained. "_Pan _Feliks is too busy to train her right now, so I agreed to it."

"You'll have a study buddy!" Feliks exclaimed. Maria looked at the other girl. She was startled by how much Barbara looked like her. Same height, same build, same wavy amber hair: only her eyes were different, more blue than violet. Maria smiled at her, and the other entity grinned back.

"So where should I bring my stuff?" she asked in impeccable German.

Onkel Gisil nodded at Maria. "Show her the bedroom next to yours," he said. "You two youngsters can chat."

"Call me Basia," the Polish entity said as Maria helped her drag her suitcases upstairs. "I'm, like, so excited to be here! _Wuj_ Feliks told me you were the coolest girl in Germany!"

"No, I'm not." Maria blushed. "I'm sure lots of German mortals are cooler than I am!"

"Mortals don't count," Basia sniffed. "Do you know it's been, like, forever, since a new entity has appeared in Europe? Serbia, Croatia and those types don't count, because they were in hiding during the Cold War."

"How about you?" Maria had learned that it was hard to base an entity's age simply based on appearance. Basia looked her age, but she could easily be twice as old.

The Polish entity shrugged. "I go back to right after the Cold War ended," she said. "The mortals changed districts and names and there I was. But enough about me!" She plopped down on her bed and pulled Maria to sit next to her. "Tell me about you! You're Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, _tak?_ _Wuj _Feliks raves about your art and smarts! Have you met my _Ciotka_ Gdansk?3 I bet she could teach you a lot about being a Baltic entity! She gave me this." Basia pulled at the ornate amber pendant hanging from a silver chain around her throat.

"That's beautiful," Maria admitted.

"You have to come home with me on a break and visit her," Basia said. "She has jewelry dating back to, like, the Renaissance! If she likes you, she'll give you something nice."

"But I should bring her a hostess gift, then," Maria murmured.

"A promise of cooperation and friendship goes a long way," Basia said. She squeezed Maria's hands and she was startled at the rush of warmth she felt towards the Polish entity. "My uncle and yours want friendship. We can help them with that, _tak_?" Basia smiled winningly, and Maria couldn't help grinning back. Another personification, who was her gender, age and status. It was too good to be true.

**Maybe Maria will see that personifying a state is not so bad after all. Or maybe something else will happen. What do you think of Saxony? or Maria's new friend Basia? Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

1 Germanic goddess of spring, new life and animals. Yes, our term "Easter" has something to do with her.

2 A vovoideship is a province or administrative term for a subdivision of Poland.

3 Polish: Aunt


	29. Chapter 29 Fast Friends

**Chapter 29 Fast Friends**

Maria had not felt so close to another girl her age since primary school. Basia was lively, intelligent, and generous with her possessions and compliments. The two personifications were soon swapping clothing and sharing their favorite music, movies, and books. They studied together and the Polish entity happily quizzed Maria on Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in preparation for her weekly reports to Saxony. Strangely, Basia waved off Maria's offer to do the same for her voivodeship. "You've got enough to do," she said lightly, "and it's not that hard or exciting anyway. Now, I'll tell you what you _can _help me with." Basia flopped down on Maria's bed and smiled at her. "You can tell me the latest phrases the Berliners are using so I don't sound like a total _Körperklaus _when we go visit!"1

Sometimes while they were researching or writing assignments for Saxony, Basia would start humming a pop tune and dancing. Maria would join in, and soon the two girls were laughing and bouncing about. Saxony would come in, glower a little and remind them of their deadline. The two would try to calm down, but in a minute they would begin giggling all over again. Yet as the due date for the work grew nearer, Basia would grow serious, brewing strong cups of tea so she and Maria could stay alert as they worked late. Saxony was pleased with their work and would reward them by letting them sleep in late or even baking them fresh delicious coffee cakes.

On the weekends, the two entities went shopping in Dresden or took the bus or train to other cities and towns in the state. Saxony frequently had weekend visitors and the girls would sometimes stay home and visit with them. Thuringia was a frequent visitor, who brought fresh sausages and enjoyed shopping with the girls. At dinner, Maria noticed how Tante Magda would sometimes lean against Onkel Gisil as he told a story, or how he would squeeze her shoulder as he got up to get a pot of coffee started. She liked the subtle, dignified forms of affection between them; such a change from Vati and Muti's clinging to each other like horny teen mortals!

Saxony-Anhalt came to stay one weekend. Maria had always liked her Onkel Günther because he had been willing to play with her and give her cheats to videogames. The first time he called Saxony "Vati" she had been surprised. _Of course_, she reminded herself, _he is Onkel Gisil's and Tante Magda's only surviving son. _Saxony-Anhalt noticed her startled expression and laughed.

"That's right, Maria," he said kindly. "We're really cousins and since you're going to be my peer and co-worker in a couple of years, you don't need to call me 'Onkel' anymore." He sat down next to her and Basia and adjusted his glasses. Maria thought he looked like a hipper Austria, with short, mussier hair and hazel eyes. "So is Vati cracking the whip over you two?"

"Herr Saxony isn't so bad," Basia said. She checked her phone and got up. "Excuse me, I've got a call from Poland I have to take." She left the parlor, grinning wickedly over her shoulder at Maria.

Maria glared back at her. This was her Onke—nein, cousin, for goodness sake! But Vati and Muti were cousins as well. Günther had seen her melt down at her first Christmas, he had designed simple videogames and apps to amuse her, he had treated her like a child. He couldn't possibly be interested in her as a potential girlfriend. That felt weird.

Saxony-Anhalt had gotten up and was standing near the mantelpiece. "Maria, I want to show you something," he said. She got up and saw him take down a wooden statue of a little boy holding a rabbit. Time and handling had burnished the wood to a warm honey glow. "This was me, when I was little." He handed it to Maria and she caressed the smooth surface.

"It's lovely," she sighed. "Onkel Gisil is so talented."

Saxony-Anhalt laughed a little and she noted the dimples in his cheeks. "He didn't carve this one. _Meine Muti_, your Tante Magda, did." He took the statue from her hands and placed it back on the mantel. "Here's one Vati did of me." It was a larger carving of an older boy with a dog and fishing pole. As Maria studied the detail of the boy's clothes and dog's fur, she remembered the carvings of birds and horses Vati had given her to play with as a child. _He must have done those over the centuries_, she thought. She recalled visiting Muti in Liechtenstein and seeing an elaborately carved box with scenes of a little girl enjoying the Alps during the four seasons. Muti had told her that Onkel Vash had carved that as a Christmas gift and that the little girl represented Maria. She had been touched that her prickly uncle could reveal such a sweet side. All the craft and skill she was seeing made her feel awkward.

"I must be the only German personification that doesn't carve wood," she mumbled as she placed the statue back on the shelf. Saxony-Anhalt raised an eyebrow at her.

"You can always learn. It's not hard. You start with soft wood and simple shapes. I can show you." He smiled at Maria and she felt strange, as if he were a handsome kind stranger and not a family member. She blushed and struggled over what to say, but fortunately Basia bounced back into the room, saying that Saxony wanted to talk to his son about some business. When Günther left, the Polish entity poked Maria's arm.

"So, what do you think of him? Isn't he cute? And I think he likes you!" She chortled. Maria blushed deeper and punched Basia's arm.

"I called him Onkel! He's seen me in braids and diapers! It would feel creepy!" She protested, but Basia only laughed harder and then waved her hand dismissively.

"_Mój Bóg,_ you don't have to sleep with him tonight! Just stop thinking of him as an uncle and start thinking of him as a handsome young state who's vaguely related to you. I mean, it's not like Saxony is like your father's _real_ brother. _Pan _Günther would have to treat you well because he'd get in a lot of trouble with Germany if he just led you on and dumped you."

"You're just talking crazy," Maria muttered. Actually, Basia's argument made sense. She liked Saxony-Anhalt and it was flattering to think that he was interested in her. But she had other things to think about. She turned to Basia, dark violet eyes flashing. "How about we find someone for you, _Frauleinchen?_ Let's come up for a plan for German-Polish unity. Maybe Hamburg or Bremen would be a good match!" Basia snorted and the two ended up tussling and giggling.

Poland himself visited a few weeks before the two girls' quarterly break. He was accompanied by a beautiful, petite blonde with blue eyes. "Ciotka Elenka!" Basia cried as she ran to the female's arms. She turned to Maria, a wide smile on her face. "This is my auntie, the city of Krakow!" The city gently disentangled herself from her niece and took Maria into her arms; she was astonished at the mixture of strength and softness in Elena Łukasiewicz's delicate body.

"I am so pleased to meet our neighbor and my brother's little German niece," Krakow murmured. Her voice and Austrian German reminded Maria of Muti. "Would you like to join us on our Goethe tour?" Elena continued. "It would be such a pleasure to hear you read selections from him in German." She smiled sweetly, her dimples appearing under high cheekbones.

"Ja, I'd be happy to do that. I just have to finish this report on social services in my state and I'd love to go!" Maria looked up to Saxony for his approval. Onkel Gisil smiled and said, "Of course! You need to see how his surroundings influenced him." The Polish entities grinned approvingly and Maria felt happy and reenergized to complete her work.

Maria enjoyed the drive into Thuringia with the Polish personifications. Feliks was a fast, yet assured, driver, and the female entities chatted about the poetry scene in Krakow. Maria showed Elena her artwork and was pleased to hear the artistic city's praise. They stayed at Tante Magda's house, and the German state proudly escorted them around the major sites of Weimar. As the Poles and Thuringia talked about Goethe's prosody and influence on European poets, Maria felt awkward. Vati had never had much interest in poetry beyond what Friedrich der Groß had written. Yet when Elena, Basia, Feliks and Tante Magda had urged her to read a passage from _Faust_, she obliged, realizing the beauty and meaning of the description of the great doctor's awakening in nature from the horror of his beloved Gretchen's death.

"Beautiful," Krakow sighed. She turned to the others. "My German was influenced by Austria, so to hear the pure language read so beautifully is a real treat."

"Well, we've got some fabulous poets of our own," Poland retorted. He began to recite, and Krakow joined him. The two alternated lines, and Maria was delighted to realize her own Polish was good enough to recognize the rhyme scheme and meaning.

"Those lines came from _Pan Tadeusz,"_Feliks told her. "They have a, like, special meaning to Elena, right?" He nudged his sister affectionately. "Tell her about Karol."

Krakow blushed and looked straight at Maria, her round blue eyes shining. "When I met John Paul the Great, he was only an assistant to the Archbishop of Krakow," she began. "Yet, you can tell when a mortal is special and I sensed it right away. I loved him, not in an inappropriate way, of course, but I could tell he had a great spirit. Those lines we just recited about a Slavic pope? I knew he would be the one. And when he was ready to go to Rome to study, I wrote in the rectory's copy of _Pan Tadeusz, 'Karol will be that pope.'_ She giggled, as much to hide her tears as to show her pride. "And I was right!" She poked her brother's arm.

"Tak, you were right and I was wrong," Poland grumbled affectionately. He turned to Maria. "I told her that the age of great mortals, especially like Polish ones, was over, but she insisted that she sensed greatness about him. I lost a beautiful Arab mare and Pomeranian bitch to her, but I gained, like, hope and freedom." Pride glistened in his pale green eyes.

Maria listened, taking it in. She turned to Thuringia. "Do you think we will have a great German mortal like that in this age?" she asked.

Tante Magda shrugged her well-defined shoulders. "Who knows? There are many good mortals, but few great ones." She smiled, showing off the bridge Muti had gifted her. "Maybe the next great Chancellor of Germany will come from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern!"

Maria smiled politely, but she doubted it. In many ways, the mortals of her state still seemed backwards and narrow-minded in their concerns; they wanted tourism and more money, not dreams of dominating German politics. As she studied them, she sometimes found herself wishing that the humans would disappear and the wolves, deer, cranes and eagles would be her charges. An image of herself striding through Rostock's forest, animals and birds following her to the coast, popped into her head.

"I need a potty break!" Basia declared. She jumped up and gestured towards her aunt and their German hostess. "Come with me." The other female entities got up, but Maria and Poland stayed put.

Feliks edged closer towards her. "Goody, we get a chance to talk, _kochanie,_" he said, taking out a cigarette and lighting it. "How's your internship going? I've been thinking about you and Basia and how you feel about the work."

Maria sighed and looked longingly at the cigarette. She knew she shouldn't indulge in such a filthy habit, especially since her mortals clamored for clean, green technology, but Poland made it look so chic and worldly. "The research and papers don't bother me. It's like schoolwork, but it feels more practical and real," she said. "But it gets boring. I could see doing it for a few years and then moving on to something else, but for the rest of my existence..." She shuddered.

Poland sighed. "It's better than going to war every few years," he replied. "Although some states and nations would probably like that." They both knew he meant Vati. "But mortals do boring work all the time and they manage. So don't even try to tell me it would be better, chickie."

"It would if I could do something I _really_ liked, like study animals or art," Maria retorted. "Then it wouldn't be so dull and feel like work." She imagined herself in a white, sunlit room, working at a computer and doing art. Every assignment would be different and interesting. There might even be a boyfriend or husband doing his own work in his own study. She smiled and then shivered when an image of Saxony-Anhalt came to mind.

"So you're still thinking of, like, what you told me at your graduation party? The one year plan?" Poland's voice was softer and deeper. When she looked at him, she noted how the sunlight and shadow played upon his face, making his cheekbones and jaw prominent. He wasn't a pretty, boyish fellow anymore, but a handsome, aristocratic young man. He was, _Gott helfe ihr,_ attractive.2

"I still think of it," she admitted. It couldn't be so bad, she thought, to be a Polish mortal under her nation's protection. But she thought of aging, time, and mortality and wondered how she could escape that part of the bargain.

Poland's chin-length hair swung against his jawline as he nodded. "You know," he said slowly, "you don't have to become, like, mortal, to leave Mecklenburg-Vorpommern." He took a drag on his cigarette. "You could become a Baltic entity in another state. Maybe one that you feel more at home in." He gazed at her and she felt her stomach twist. "It's obvious you get along with me, and Basia always raves about you. Even Elena has taken a shine to you and I've learned to trust her in everything."

Maria stared back, growing nervous. "But Onkel Ludwig wouldn't allow me to leave," she protested weakly, "and Vati wouldn't stand for it." She paused and thought. "What could we do about it?" She couldn't believe she was asking this question.

Poland smiled and he looked so confident, she felt both alarmed and soothed. "Your Onkel Ludwig and I want to bury the past," he said in his new, rich voice. "I've been a good economic and political ally to him over the years, and your state is the closest to mine. His strength and, like, my courage and connections to the United States would keep Russia in his place. He wouldn't mind a closer relationship to his Eastern neighbor." He took a drag on his cigarette and exhaled a slow stream of smoke. "Your father would be upset, of course, but he's just, like, a state, and if Germany thinks it would be good for us to be closer, he'd have to listen." He looked at her with bright green eyes. "I know, this sounds weird and all, but it doesn't have to happen all at once, and like, you could always say, 'Nie," and I'd totally understand." He shrugged and there was something sweet and insouciant in his face. "I'd be like bummed for a little while, but I'm an old nation and I can get over it."

Maria could hear female voices chattering over the horizon; she only had a little time to talk. "I'm intrigued, but I need to think it over," she whispered. "And," she added more kindly, "I'm flattered and honored, but I can't jump into anything, tak?" She studied Feliks for cues.

"Of course," the Polish nation said. He stubbed out his cigarette. "You should probably consult with Saxony. He's got no dog in this fight, and he could give you the pros and cons of the situation." The sun seemed to shift and he was once again effeminate Feliks, the nation in a strange love arrangement with Lithuania and Ukraine.

On the drive back to Dresden, Maria was silent. Basia and Krakow chatted in Polish and she understood it to be mostly trivia. Poland concentrated on the roads, and she concentrated on the strange conversation she had had with him. Vati wouldn't approve, of course, but Feliks was right; he was just a state and she was legally an adult. She could choose partners within Germany and if she presented a compelling case to Onkel Ludwig, she might be able to have a consort from another nation. She glanced at Poland's fine, sharp profile as he drove; he had not suffered the same economic damage as other nations in the European Union, he was a nation with intelligent, hard-working mortals and a key geographical location. He had coasts, an historic forest, farmland and thriving cities. If it were acceptable to think of her German cousin as a potential suitor, why not someone who was "uncle" in name only? Then she imagined Vati's rage and pain at her choice and she hesitated. Suddenly a small hand ruffled her hair.

"_Mój Bóg, _I got the best idea ever!" Basia exclaimed. Maria turned and saw the Polish entity grinning at her. "For our next quarter break, we should totally go to the Netherlands!"

"Why?" Maria wasn't interested in legal prostitutes or hashish. She tipped her head towards the calm Krakow. "Why couldn't you come to my state or I visit you and your relatives?"

"Because it would be, like, fun!" Basia insisted. "Like, there would be lots of museums to inspire your art, lots of young mortal men to flirt with, cool cafes and clubs. We should totally do it!" She leaned over and whispered, "we could get weed cards and smoke hashish at a hookah club!"

Maria laughed, "You're silly!" But as she thought about it, it sounded appealing. Vati always told her she needed regular visits to her state to stay strong and healthy, but a week or two in the Netherlands couldn't weaken her. It would be fun to go to another nation without her parents, as a young woman with a friend who shared so many of her interests. She wasn't a child anymore, she decided; Vati and Muti would understand. "Tak," she finally said. "We should do it!"

"_Ausgezeichnet!"_ Basia exclaimed. "We'll make plans when we get back. It'll be a total blast!"

**Hmmm, what do you think is going on with Maria's interest in Saxony-Anhalt? Or Poland, for that matter? And what do you think will happen when they visit that handsome, poetry-loving, bunny-carrying fellow, the Netherlands? Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

1 German: clumsy awkward person. The closest thing I could find that fits the American term "rube" or "hick"

2 German: God help her


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